Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is the name of the stunning and frightening decline of honeybees around the world.  First noticed in North America in 2006, colony collapse is being reported worldwide.

According to the USDA Agricultural Research Service  (USDA ARS), in 2009, for the fourth year in a row, more than 1/3 of U.S. honeybee hives failed to survive the winter.  Some northeast beekeepers reported as much as 2/3 of their pollinator population failed to survive between May 2009 and April of this year. Other American beekeepers have reported losses of 100%. This is a crisis.

Honeybees are pollinators. As a group, pollinators are at risk. This includes birds, butterflies, bats, insects and other creatures. The loss of pollinators has economic and ecological consequences. Agriculturalists are especially concerned about the impact on the regeneration of crops from year to year.  With each year’s loss of honeybees and other pollinator species, the risk to our food security increases.  About 90% of all crops in North America and in WNY rely on honeybee pollination to reproduce.  According to the USDA ARS, the bee pollination business is responsible for $15 billion in added crop value nationwide. Beekeeping and pollination is a big business.

The job of pollinators is to ensure reproduction. Not only is our food system threatened by colony collapse but also so are many of our native plants, which are food sources for a variety of beneficial animals. Loss of these pollinators means habitat loss and the potential collapse of ecosystems. Without pollinators, many plants cannot reproduce, provide food sources, and promote the biodiversity on which our planet’s health, ecology, and food systems depend.

The specific causes of CCD have been linked to human made toxins that are ingested by honeybees as part of their natural life cycle. These toxins include commonly used pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, paints, solvent, yard and farm chemicals, and GMO’s (genetically modified organisms).  Pollinator exposure to these poisons is through plants, flowers, nectar, pollen, leaf litter, water, hives, dirt, other animals, and a wide variety of other sources.

A recent study conducted by Penn State University published in the Public Library of Science (High Levels of Miticides and Agrochemicals in North American Apiaries: Implications for Honey Bee Health) found widespread and “remarkably high” levels of pesticides and other toxicant contamination of beehives and food sources including fungicides in pollen.  Dr. Chris Mullen, lead author of the study said “The pollen is not in good shape.  The study reports that 121 pesticides and metabolites have been found in wax, pollen, bee, and hive samples.

These toxins, combined in unexpected ways, are a likely cause of pollinator’s with weakened immune systems. Yet most farmers continue to rely on these toxins to protect their crops from infestation and disease, which, if left untreated, they believe would result in crop failures and substantial loss of income.

In recent decades global agribusiness has ushered in the emergence of large, concentrated, single crop farming operations. This has hastened the decline of the small family farm and its multiple crops and a diversified approach to sustainable farming.  Increasingly growers large and small have come to rely on chemical and GMO strategies to increase yield and to keep up with the demands of agribusiness. But one noticeable consequence of huge mono crop, toxically-treated crop farms is that bees fail to thrive when this is their pasture for collecting nectar.

It is increasingly clear that chemical and GMO strategies have unanticipated consequences on pollinators and thus on the sustainability of the food supply for humans and other animals.  Food safety and security issues linked to these strategies are rapidly gaining priority status on the agenda for sustainable agriculture.

Researchers and representatives of agribusiness will have to work together to solve the problem of widespread colony collapse. But each of us can do our part to ensure the survival of pollinators.

Action tip ~ If you have a flower or vegetable garden, whether you are urban or rural based, consider not using products containing toxic chemicals.

Action tip ~ We encourage the creation of organic pollinator pastures, large and small, where pollinators will enjoy nectar relatively free of contamination. Whether you plant one colorful flowering plant in a pot outside or plant an entire garden full of flowers that attract pollinators, you’ve done something significant, especially if you use insect friendly plants and gardening techniques.

Action tip ~ Purchasing more and more organic products and becoming aware of the widespread toxic contamination of many of our consumer oriented products is smart, and each time you change your purchasing decisions in favor of healthier options amounts to votes with your dollars for a sustainable agricultural system.

The pressures on our agricultural system are greater than most people realize. Those who know the food system well know huge agribusiness is not sustainable. Colony collapse is but one symptom of how unsustainable it is. There are many symptoms. Let’s get our hands dirty, spend our food dollars consciously, and make this a better world forpollinators.

The New York Sustainable Agriculture Working Group

19 Penfield Street• Buffalo, NY 14213 • Phone 716-316-5839 • E-mail jeinach@yahoo.com

  NYSAWG

For Immediate Release
JULY 11 2010 

Pollinators and Pesticides Symposium
Pollinators at the Crossroads

Contact: Judy Einach 716-316-5839

 July 22, 2010  
10:00AM - 11:30AM   /  1:00PM – 4:00PM

Where: Orvis Activities Center Auditorium Alfred State College Alfred State SUNY College of Technology, Upper College Drive, Alfred, NY.

What: Expert presentations on Honeybee and other Pollinators regarding  effects of Pesticides. Researchers will present and discuss Colony Collapse Disorder, the latest findings, and the ongoing and potential impact on WNY Agriculture.

Who: 
Penn. State University/Center for Pollinator Research:
Maryann Frazier, Pennsylvania State extension entomologist - A survey of recent research findings regarding honeybee health.
Dr. James Frazier, Professor, Department of Entomology - Synergistic and sublethal effects of pesticides on honey bees. 
  
USDA-Agricultural Research Services Honey Bee Pollination Lab in Tucson, Arizona: 
Dr. Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman, Research Director - Do pesticide contaminants alter the microflora in healthy honeybee colonies?
Dr. Diana Sammataro - Beneficial lactic acid bacteria microflora of honey bees.
Dr. Kirk Anderson - Microbiota in the stored food sources of social insects.
Dr. Mark Carroll - Varroa mite attractants; potential solution for varroa mite/viral challenges to honey bees. For those wishing to bring a picnic lunch, a designated area will be announced at the meeting, other lunch options will be available on campus and in town.

There is no cost to attend; but we request advance registration through the New York Sustainable Agriculture Working Group at the following e-mail:
nysawg@gmail.com 
Telephone:  716-316-5839. 
This Symposium is Sponsored by Alfred State SUNY College of Technology; The Western New York Honey Producers Association; The New York Sustainable Agriculture Working Group in partnership with USDA Risk Management Agency; the Learning Sustainability Campaign; and Bee Culture - the Magazine of American Beekeeping.

Background

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is the name of the stunning decline of Honeybees around the world.  First noticed in North America in 2006, reports of vanishing bees have been reported in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Central and South America, Australia, and Asia.According to the USDA Agricultural Research Service  (USDA ARS) in 2009, for the fourth year in a row, more than 1/3 of 551,000 of U.S. honeybee hives failed to survive the winter.  Some northeast beekeepers have reported as much as 2/3 of their population failed to survive between May 2009 and April 2010. Some American beekeepers have reported losses of 100%.This is not new news to agricultural growers, producers, and beekeepers as they have been first hand witnesses to the dangerous decline. It is not good news for anyone. About 90% of all crops in North America and in WNY rely on honeybee pollination. That is a huge chunk of our food supply.  According to the USDA ARS, the bee pollination business is responsible for $15 billion in added crop value nationwide. Beekeeping and pollinating is a big business. It is not hard to imagine that as honeybees and other pollinator species continue to disappear, our food security is at risk.  We are just beginning to learn about the causes and the effects of CCD.Recently the USDA APHIS (United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) announced a new national survey to identify honeybee pests and diseases which they hope will help scientists to determine the prevalence of parasites and disease-causing microorganisms that may be contributing to the decline of honey bee colonies nationwide. New York and Pennsylvania are two states in which the survey will be focused.“Bee health is critical for the success of pollination-based agriculture” said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in announcing the survey.

Causes
Scientists and beekeepers have blamed the problem on a variety of issues ranging from fungus and viruses to cell phone use.  More and more the evidence is leading to the conclusion that a variety of factors are promoting CCD.   Among the robust factors now being profiled are the impacts on honeybees, and other pollinator species by human-manufactured toxins including pesticides, fungicides, and GMO’s (genetically modified organisms).A recent study conducted by Penn State University published in the Public Library of Science (High Levels of Miticides and Agrochemicals in North American Apiaries: Implications for Honey Bee health) found widespread and “remarkably high” levels of pesticides and other toxicant contamination of beehives and food sources including fungicides in pollen.  Dr. Chris Mullen, lead author of the study said “The pollen is not in good shape.  The study reports that 121 pesticides and metabolites have been found in wax, pollen, bee, and hive samples.These toxins, combined in unexpected ways may be leading to pollinator’s with weakened immune systems that are allowing disease to infiltrate bodies and colonies.  In recent decades global agribusiness has ushered the emergence of large, concentrated, single crop farming operations. This has hastened the decline of the small family farm and its multiple crops and often more diversified approach as a fundamental part of the food industry. Increasingly growers large and small have come to rely on chemical and GMO strategies to increase yield and to keep up with the demands of agribusiness.  Mix in the fundamental management technique involving pollination and bees and we begin to see substantial conflict.Today  it is becoming increasingly clear that chemical and GMO strategies are having unanticipated consequences regards pollinators. If we lose our pollinators, we lose our food supply. Food safety and security issues linked to these strategies are rapidly rising in our sustainable agricultural agenda.