Study: EPA-approved GMO insecticide responsible for killing off bees, contaminating entire food chain

Early last year, leaked documents obtained by a Colorado beekeeper exposed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) illegitimate approval of clothianidin, a highly-toxic pesticide manufactured by Bayer CropScience that the regulatory agency knew was capable of killing off bees (http://www.naturalnews.com/030921_EPA_pesticides.html). Now, a new study out of Purdue University in Indiana has not only confirmed, once again, that clothianidin is killing off bees, but also that clothianidin's toxicity is systemic throughout the entire food chain, which could one day lead to the catastrophic destruction of the food supply.

The study, which was published in the online journal PLoS ONE, investigated the various methods and routes by which a class of insecticides known as neonicotinoids, which includes clothianidin, are harming honey bees. They discovered that both clothianidin and thiamethoxam, another component of neonicotinoid insecticides, persist in "extremely high levels" in planter exhaust material produced during the planting of crops treated with these insecticides, which runs contrary to industry claims that the chemicals biodegrade and are not a threat.

The research team also found neonicotinoid compounds in soil, including in fields where the chemicals were not even sprayed, as well as on various plants and flowers visited by bees. Based on their analysis, the researchers involved with the study determined that bees actively transfer contaminated pollen from primarily neonicotinoid-treated corn crops, and bring it back to their hives. The bees also transfer neonicotinoid compounds to other plants and crops not treated with the chemicals, which shows just how persistent these chemicals truly are in the environment.

You can read the entire report for yourself at the following link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3250423/?tool=pubmed

"This research should nail the coffin lid shut on clothianidin," said Laurel Hopwood, chairwoman of the Sierra Club's Genetic Engineering Action Team, who is petitioning the EPA to finally ban these chemicals after years of needless delay. "Despite numerous attempts by the beekeeping industry and conservation organizations to persuade the EPA to ban clothianidin, the EPA has failed to protect the food supply for the American people."

Without bees, which are now dying off at an alarming rate due to exposure to clothianidin and various other insecticides and fungicides, one third or more of the food supply will be destroyed, including at least 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables that rely on bees for pollination. This is why Dr. Neil Carman, Ph.D., scientific advisor to Sierra Club, has put out a call for the EPA to immediately ban the use of clothianidin and the other neonicotinoid insecticides for the sake of protecting the food supply from irreversible destruction.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3250423/?tool=pubmed

http://iowa.sierraclub.org/Agriculture/agriculture.htm

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=6919

http://www.naturalnews.com/030921_EPA_pesticides.html

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035511_insecticide_bees_collapse.html#ixzz1rhKjmkOE

Confirmed: Common pesticide crashing honeybee populations around the world

Two new studies published in the journal Science have once again confirmed what several previous studies, including one compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), have found concerning the epidemic of colony collapse disorder (CCD) among bee populations -- neonicotinoid insecticides are largely responsible for causing this deadly phenomenon.

Scientists from both the U.K. and France have now undoubtedly proven that neonicotinoid insecticides, which are commonly used on major food crops, are causing bees to lose their ability to properly navigate the natural environment. And as a result, many of them end up getting lost when they are out pollinating and never return back to their hives, which has resulted in an 85 percent reduction in queen bee production, collectively.

For the first study, which was led by biologist Mickael Henry of INRA, a French agricultural research agency, a research team tagged honeybees with radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips, and dosed some of them with neonicotinoid chemicals. They discovered that those exposed to neonicotinoids were twice as likely as the non-exposed group to lose their way and die outside their hives.

In the second study, David Goulson, a bee biologist at Scotland's University of Stirling, and his team exposed developing bees inside their hives to varying levels of neonicotinoids and set them free to forage in an enclosed field. After six weeks, it was determined that the bees exposed to neonicotinoids grew to be smaller in size than non-exposed bees, and also produced a shocking 85 percent fewer queens.

"Nests have annual cycles," explained Goulson about his team's findings. "They start with a single queen, and the nest grows through the season. If it doesn't get big enough, it doesn't have the resources to pour into rearing queens. The French study shows that exposure to neonicotinoids makes honeybees less likely to find their nest. That's likely the mechanisms that led to our nests growing more slowly."

But these findings are expected when considering that bees are insects, and neonicotinoids are designed to destroy insects. Whether applied to the outsides of seeds as they are planted, or sprayed on crops after they are planted, neonicotinoids are highly toxic to this vital plant pollinator. And the USDA has been aware of this for years, but done nothing about it.

"Bees' ability to navigate is very important," added Goulson. "When they leave their nest, they fly miles to gather food. Anything that makes them even a little bit worse at navigating or learning could be a disaster in those circumstances."

Sources for this article include:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/03/neonicotinoids-bee-collapse/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17535769

http://www.naturalnews.com/031091_USDA_pesticide.html

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035518_honey_bees_pesticides_science.html#ixzz1rhI4d8qj

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/035518_honey_bees_pesticides_science.html