Mysterious Bee Deaths Linked to Pesticides
By
Genaro C. Armas, Associated Press
ETLEWISBURG,
Pa. (AP) - Scientists investigating
a mysterious ailment that killed many
of the nation's honeybees are concentrating
on pesticides and a new pathogen as possible
culprits, and some beekeepers are already
trying to keep their colonies away from
pesticide-exposed fields.
After
months of study, researchers are finding
it difficult to tie the die-off to any
single factor, said Maryann Frazier, a
senior extension associate in Penn State
University's entomology department.
"Two
things right now ... that are really keeping
us focused are the pathogen and the role
of pesticides," Frazier said.
Scientists
from Penn State and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture are leading the research
into colony-collapse disorder, including
study of the yet-to-be identified pathogen,
a microorganism capable of causing disease.
But
commercial beekeeper David Hackenberg
isn't waiting to take action. He's asking
growers whether they use pesticides on
fields before bringing his bees for pollination.
Honeybees don't just make honey; they
pollinate more than 90 tasty flowering
crops, including apples, nuts and citrus
fruit.
Hackenberg,
58, trucks his bees around the country
for pollination - from oranges in Florida
to blueberries in Maine. He was the first
beekeeper to report the disorder to Penn
State researchers last fall, having lost
nearly 75 percent of his 3,200 colonies.
He
said he is convinced pesticides, and in
particular a kind of pesticide called
neonicotinoids, were harming his bees.
"I'm quizzing every farmer around,"
Hackenberg said. "If you're going
to use that stuff, then you're going to
have go to somebody else."
The
beekeeper of 45 years is back up 2,400
colonies and doesn't want to lose his
bees again.
He and his son, Davey Hackenberg, who
operate Hackenberg Apiaries, are considering
raising prices to cover the cost of replacing
hives that may die off because of colony
collapse. They charge about $90 a hive
now to "lease" their bees in
fields; it costs $120 to replace a hive
with new bees, the Hackenbergs said.
Beekeeper
Jim Aucker, of Millville, was left with
just 240 of his 1,200 hives earlier this
spring after the illness struck. He said
he's back up to just under 600 now. He
is convinced pesticides are playing a
role.
"I
have found spray materials in our dead
hives. Whether it's 100 percent the cause,
I'm not sure, but I'm positive it's not
helping," Aucker said. He doesn't
plan to return to fields where he thinks
there might be a pesticide problem.
Daniel
Weaver, president of the American Beekeeping
Federation, said he wasn't surprised some
beekeepers were staying away from fields
with insecticides.
"I try to limit my association to
growers that I know will be responsible
bending over backward and to go out of
their way to avoid pesticide application
while the bees are flying," he said
of his own colonies. "Of course,
I can't escape it completely."
He
also cautioned what other scientists have
echoed - that bees' immune systems might
be weakened and vulnerable for reasons
besides pathogens and pesticides, such
as mites.
Bayer Crop Science is one of the top producers
of the neonicotinoid pesticides in the
country, and the product has been on the
market since 1994.
"We
have done a significant amount of research
on our products, and we are comfortable
this it is not the cause," said company
spokesman John Boyne, an entomologist
by training.
"The
current research indicates that a number
of nonchemical causes may be to blame,"
Boyne said when asked beekeepers' concerns
regarding pesticides. Bayer is cooperating
with federal and university scientists.
Some
of the neonicotinic pesticides are available
in stores to homeowners, though some bottles
may not have the same warning labels as
those available commercially, researchers
and beekeepers said. Bayer officials said
they were not aware of the issue but were
looking into it.
Some
beekeepers worry fruit and vegetable growers
may be spraying pesticides in ways other
than the directions on labels, said University
of Montana bee expert Jerry Bromenshenk.
His survey of beekeepers found instances
of colony collapse in about 35 states.
Reports
are across the board as of mid-June, a
time when bee colonies are supposed to
be thriving. Some beekeepers have said
they are losing bees, while others are
holding steady or growing colonies again.
Hackenberg said he went to the extreme
of trying to disinfect many of his hives
with radiation.
But
he fears what might happen if his bees
get struck again. A call came in on his
cell phone as he worked with a thriving
hive of honeybees on a hill above his
house - a caller was trying to line up
bees for 2008.
"Yeah,
we sell bees," Hackenberg said, "if
we're still in business next year."