Since the 1980s bees have been dying at an alarming pace, in 2008 the pace accelerated with 60 percent of US hives being lost to colony collapse disorder (CCD). The problem has scientists, environmentalists, farmers and others concerned because bees are in an important pollinator and without them many crops will never reach harvest.
While there does not appear to be any single cause for the die off, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a new rule in an effort to protect the bees. The proposed rule, which is now open for public comment, would ban the use of certain pesticides while bees are most active.
Specifically the rules would apply when a beekeeper has been contracted for pollination services. Farmers will frequently have bees brought in at key stages of plant life to ensure pollination. During the process of that pollination, when crops are in bloom, farmers would be banned from spraying certain pesticides which could be harmful to the bees.
The restrictions would apply to pesticides, liquid or dust, applied directly to crop leaves that have been found to have a high toxicity for bees.
EPA officials believe that the measures will protect domesticated bee populations but wild pollinators as well.
According to the EPA website, CCD has declined to manageable levels in the United States.
“Once thought to pose a major long term threat to bees, reported cases of CCD have declined substantially over the last five years. The number of hives that do not survive over the winter months – the overall indicator for bee health – has maintained an average of about 30.5 percent since 2008. While winter losses remain relatively high, the number of those losses attributed to CCD has dropped from roughly 60 percent of total hives lost in 2008 to 31.1 percent in 2013,” reads the statement.
However, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agriculture Research Service (ARS), the decline of CCD alone may not be cause for celebration.
“CCD is far from the only risk to the health of honey bees and the economic stability of commercial beekeeping and pollination operations in the United States. Since the 1980s, honey bees and beekeepers have had to deal with a host of new pathogens from deformed wing virus to nosema fungi, new parasites such as Varroa mites, pests like small hive beetles, nutrition problems from lack of diversity or availability in pollen and nectar sources, and possible sublethal effects of pesticides,” says the ARS.
The EPA reports that it is working with state and tribal agencies to develop what it calls “Managed Pollinator Protection Plans (MP3s). These plans are designed to provide flexibility and allow for local conditions, crops and pollinators.
“EPA will monitor the success of these MP3s in mitigating risks to bees from highly toxic pesticides on an ongoing basis and use this information when deciding whether or not further label restrictions are necessary,” according to a statement from the agency.
