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America’s agricultural landscape is now 48 times more toxic to honeybees, and likely other insects, than it was 25 years ago, almost entirely due to widespread use of so-called neonicotinoid pesticides, according to a new study published today in the journal PLOS One.
This enormous rise in toxicity matches the sharp declines in bees, butterflies, and other pollinators as well as birds, says co-author Kendra Klein, senior staff scientist at Friends of the Earth US.
“This is the second Silent Spring. Neonics are like a new DDT, except they are a thousand times more toxic to bees than DDT was,” Klein says in an interview.
Using a new tool that measures toxicity to honey bees, the length of time a pesticide remains toxic, and the amount used in a year, Klein and researchers from three other institutions determined that the new generation of pesticides has made agriculture far more toxic to insects. Honey bees are used as a proxy for all insects. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency does the same thing when requiring toxicity data for pesticide registration purposes, she explained.
The study found that neonics accounted for 92 percent of this increased toxicity. Neonics are not only incredibly toxic to honeybees, they can remain toxic for more than 1,000 days in the environment, said Klein.
[...] As insects have declined, the numbers of insect-eating birds have plummeted in recent decades. There’s also been a widespread decline in nearly all bird species, Holmer said. “Every bird needs to eat insects at some point in their life cycle.”
Neonic insecticides, also known as neonicotinoids, are used on over 140 different agricultural crops in more than 120 countries. They attack the central nervous system of insects, causing overstimulation of their nerve cells, paralysis and death.
They are systemic insecticides, which means plants absorb them and incorporate the toxin into all of their tissues: stems, leaves, pollen, nectar, sap. It also means neonics are in the plant 24/7, from seed to harvest, including dead leaves. Nearly all of neonic use in the U.S. is for coating seeds, including almost all corn and oilseed rape seed, the majority of soy and cotton seeds, and many yard plants from garden centers.
However only 5 percent of the toxin ends up the corn or soy plant; the rest ends up the soil and the environment. Neonics readily dissolve in water, meaning what’s used on the farm won’t stay on the farm. They’ve contaminated streams, ponds, and wetlands, studies have found.
[...] In 2018, the European Union banned neonicotinoids for field use based on their harm to pollinators. In 2019, Canada also passed restrictions on the use of the most widely used neonicotinoids.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @01:19AM (3 children)
Live by insecticide, you get fucked by the poison. Or sum shit like that.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @02:01AM
Actually, fluoride dropped from black helicopters is preferable to being poisoned.
How to steal a city: Montes v. City of Yakima - https://www.aclu-wa.org/cases/montes-v-city-yakima-0 [aclu-wa.org]
(Score: 2) by driverless on Tuesday August 13 2019, @04:52AM
Neonics are particularly bad. If you wanted to custom-engineer something to genocide bees you couldn't get much better than neonics. I'm astounded that they're still allowed to be used.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 15 2019, @06:37PM
Could also be this... https://youtu.be/BwyDCHf5iCY?t=2745 [youtu.be]
(Score: 2) by legont on Tuesday August 13 2019, @01:41AM (3 children)
just another reason...
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by captain normal on Tuesday August 13 2019, @04:44AM (1 child)
How are you going to avoid the poison? Cows eat plants, chickens eat plants, pigs eat plants, sheep eat plants, goats eat plants. If you plan on only eating insects, what do you think they eat? Maybe you think you can only eat seafood? All this toxic runoff goes straight into the rivers, lakes and oceans.
"It is easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they have been fooled" Mark Twain
(Score: 2) by legont on Wednesday August 14 2019, @12:32AM
Hopefully, poisoned cows die before it gets to me. Bees did, after all. Perhaps, folks who make the food die first and the reason prevails. Yes, I know it is a stretch, but one's only chance is to be the last in the line.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @01:17PM
Spontaneous generation of fully grown cattle, yeah we all know that, Mr. enlighted food chain master.
(Score: 2) by Mykl on Tuesday August 13 2019, @02:30AM (24 children)
For a problem of this magnitude, I'm kind of surprised it's taking so long to take action, both in the US and elsewhere.
Presumably the wheels of politics are being gummed up liberally by a bunch of lobbying money and influence. Now that there is pretty solid public evidence of the size and scale of the problem, what will the agriculture industry do? If they follow the tobacco industry's lead then they are up for some pretty massive pain down the track (though I'd argue that fines are not enough - anyone who knowingly produces and distributes a substance that is likely to lead to a complete collapse of our food chain should be rounded up and shot).
(Score: 5, Interesting) by fyngyrz on Tuesday August 13 2019, @02:49AM (5 children)
The people who control these corporations also control congress and the critical levels of the courts. And they're old — as is most of congress and the top-end judiciary — for the most part they don't give a damn what's going to happen after they're dead. Myriad examples of profligate waste, environmental damage, economic destruction of the base stands example to this assertion.
Oh yeah, we're really having fun now. The sociopaths have taken over the wheel, and the cliffs are just up ahead. :/
My little anecdote, out here in rural, heavily agricultural, Montana:
In previous years, there were days when the only way we could enjoy dinner out on the deck was with a mosquito net over the entire umbrella/table setup, otherwise the bugs, and not just mosquitos, either, would drive us indoors within about a minute.
This year? We eat out there all the time. Most nights, we never see a bug. Not one. When we do, wave it off, and problem solved. Also, no bees. None. Used to have to put Coke or Mountain Dew bottles out there to draw them to the sugar and trap them, otherwise, a sting was pretty much a guarantee. They owned our deck.
Hardly any birds now, either, and the big raptors circle over the town and take small dogs and cats. They used to be only very rarely seen here in town, it was a big deal to see one overhead. Now? Every day. The availability of their normal prey may have shifted (pure speculation, but there's definitely been a behavior change.)
I think we're fucked. Well and truly fucked.
--
I feel like I'm in season 5 of my life and the writers are
making ridiculous stuff happen to keep it interesting.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @04:25AM
Uh, sounds like things are *better* for you this year.
Have you checked where Wildlife Services has been landmining your area?
https://www.newsweek.com/epa-reauthorizes-controversial-cyanide-bombs-killing-wild-animals-complete-disaster-1453464 [newsweek.com]
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Tuesday August 13 2019, @05:07AM
I think what you are calling "bees" are actually Yellow Jackets. They go after meat and sugar and are active after sunset. Honey Bees are after flower pollen and are back in the hive after sunset.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowjacket [wikipedia.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_bee [wikipedia.org]
Leads me to think tat you just might have moved to Montana from some big city.
"It is easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they have been fooled" Mark Twain
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday August 13 2019, @02:29PM (2 children)
Bigotry noted. You do realize that age discrimination is just as illegal and just as wrong as any other form of bigotry?
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @10:04PM (1 child)
Says the old bigot... mock an aging nazi to his face? ICBM coords plz
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday August 13 2019, @11:09PM
Your ignorance is also noted.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2, Disagree) by Coward, Anonymous on Tuesday August 13 2019, @03:21AM (13 children)
What part of our food supply is suffering? You're being a bit melodramatic. I would be more worried about human toxicity.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @03:33AM
Pollination.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by hemocyanin on Tuesday August 13 2019, @03:38AM (6 children)
We won't starve if bees die off in sufficient numbers, but we'll be down to a diet of corn and wheat.
List of foods that need bees: https://honeylove.org/list-of-food/ [honeylove.org]
Take special note of at least one: coffee
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @03:47AM (1 child)
Approximately 80 percent of our crops require pollinators.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Tuesday August 13 2019, @04:26AM
Maybe not a good time to send all the illegal immigrants.. Hand pollination [globalcitizen.org] may be the only option..
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by Coward, Anonymous on Tuesday August 13 2019, @04:33AM (3 children)
Snooze. Wake me up when there is a drop in fruit production.
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Tuesday August 13 2019, @05:13AM (2 children)
Haven't you noticed how much fruit and vegetables are costing in the markets these days? Maybe not if your wallet is stuffed with Googily Bucks.
"It is easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they have been fooled" Mark Twain
(Score: 2) by Coward, Anonymous on Tuesday August 13 2019, @05:43AM (1 child)
The plural of anecdote is not data. At least cranberry [usda.gov] and blueberry [usda.gov] production are up, as is citrus production [usda.gov]. Meanwhile fresh berries are more available than ever [usda.gov]. Besides, you can rent honeybees [usda.gov] if you need pollination.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @08:20PM
How much to rent dead honeybees?
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday August 13 2019, @02:36PM (4 children)
It's all toxic to humans. I challenge you to find any manufactured insecticide without warning labels. Things like "Keep away from children" and "Do not use if you are pregnant or lactating." "Always wear protective gear, including gloves, safety glasses," and possibly a respirator. Go pick up a bulk container of any full-strength insecticide like real farmers and ranchers use. If the MSDA isn't offered with that container, demand one - the vendor has to give it to you. I promise, you won't find one that is NOT TOXIC to humans. If we believe that it's alright to spread that shit in the environment by the millions of tons each growing season, we are well and truly deluding ourselves. You are drinking the shit right now, wherever you live in the US - and probably wherever you live outside of the US. It's in your water, your dairy, your sodas, your diet drinks, OH SHIT!!! IT'S IN MY COFFEE!!!!
Now I really want to kill someone!
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday August 13 2019, @02:37PM (3 children)
MSDA should be MSDA for "Material Safety Data Sheet"
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Tuesday August 13 2019, @05:25PM (2 children)
I think you mean MSDS.
Answer now is don't give in; aim for a new tomorrow.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @08:01PM
MSDA (Material Safety Data Argot) is a specialized language (ie, jargon) used to discuss MSDS information.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday August 13 2019, @11:12PM
Yes, thank you. Can't believe I made the same mistake twice, but there it is.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Tuesday August 13 2019, @04:59AM
They have extremely good lobbyists, namely most of the agricultural sector. "Our yields will go down if we can't coat our seeds/plants in bee-genocide". On top of that there's the bizarre fetish most governments have with protecting their farming sector above all else. Blut und boden [wikipedia.org] is as alive and well today as it was in the 1930s.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @10:20AM
According to my calculations climate change will take care of this for us, so we don't have to do anything but sit back and wait for nature to work its magic.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday August 13 2019, @02:24PM (1 child)
Bayer. The same Bayer that bought out Monsanto. Bayer has pretty much led the fight FOR neonics, single-handedly. A company that could buy Monsanto, has a budget larger than a dozen small nations, combined. I think we need to campaign to find out which elected and which non-elected officials have been bought by Bayer, and boot their asses out of office. I have no real preference how they are booted. Impeachment is almost as good as torches and pitchforks.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Tuesday August 13 2019, @11:36PM
+10000 mod
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @03:24PM
The people who make these pesticides are dangerously, willfully oblivious to their danger.
True story: We had some people come into the office to talk about how new planting technology worked with their seeds. They handed out sample seeds as examples. 20 minutes later, after everyone had handled these seeds and the meeting was coming to a close, they told us, "By the way, those seeds are pre-treated with neonicotinoids. It's just another way this product helps farmers by discouraging pests from eating them before they have a chance to grow!"
People start shuffling out of the meeting and it begins to dawn on us that we just all handled pesticides directly. Cue a creeping sense of horror and a rush to the bathroom to wash that shit off our hands and anything else we might have touched without realizing we had been handed literal poison without our knowledge.
I get the feeling that if these guys dropped a sandwich on a roach house, they would just pick it up and eat it as if nothing happened. Bug poison is harmless to humans, right?
By the way, they pre coat all their best seeds, so if a farmer needs roundup-ready drought-tolerant soybeans, they're getting (and paying for!) the neonics whether they have a weevil problem or not.
(Score: 2) by donkeyhotay on Tuesday August 13 2019, @04:09PM
I think there are multiple factors contributing to this problem. I confess, until about eight years ago I was part of what I call, "the pesticide trap".
Inexpensive chemicals from foreign suppliers (China, et al) and cheap immigrant labor have contributed to making pesticide treatments far more affordable than they ever were. Furthermore pesticide companies, like many companies, have figured out that subscription services guarantee a certain amount of revenue. The result is that homeowners, for a small monthly outlay, find themselves ensnared in a plan that has poison applied to their lawns every two months, whether it's needed or not. All of this to ensure that no insects are around for those short, infrequent periods of time that they may be actually outside their houses. Should the homeowner wish to end this madness, they are informed that there will be an early-out fee (sometimes of a few hundred dollars) for breaking the contract with the pesticide company.