Another Alarmist Tactic from the Environmental Groups.
They found the proof they needed to support their cause. NEWS: Article EPA Doc: .pdf
Or wait a moment, lets look at what Clothianidin is and what it is used for.
A Seed Treatment Product (Poncho) (Insecticide)
YOU MEAN THIS ISN’T THE STUFF PUT ON OUR LAWNS?
Maize(Corn) is the one the BeeKeepers are the most worried about.
Bees love Corn Pollen from Mature Plants.
They say “Poncho” is only effective for the first 12 weeks of germination and leaf shoot development. (Systemic properties last for 12 weeks)
They also say the application rates of Clothianidin is half of that of say Imidacloprid. (Less product being used)
Finally, these products that are seed treated are used for Non Human or Animal purposes, like for making more CORN per bushel for Ethanol Fuels.
(That’s what its about right? more corn = more environmentally friendly gas = more money)
REMEMBER: Clothiandin is not sprayed onto a mature plant when it has available resources (pollen) for the bees to interact with.
Now you know a few reasons why the EPA has not banned Clothianidin
As for the idea that Clothianidin is present in the Corn and Pollen after it has matured is skeptical according to many. Even some Enviro Activists:
———————————————————————————————————————————————————
Unexpected circumstances led to bee deaths
The bee die-offs which occurred in spring 2008 in Southwest Germany as the result of faulty application of the active ingredient clothianidin set off a controversial discussion on the use of pesticides for seed treatments. In the present case a number of maize seed batches had been incorrectly dressed – a fault for which Bayer Crop Science as the manufacturer is not to blame. Due to the incorrect dressing during the sowing of the treated maize seeds abraded dust particles – and with them the active ingredient – were spread over the surrounding area, where they were taken up by bees. This came about only because severe dryness, strong winds and the use of particular types of pneumatic sowing machines provided favourable conditions for drift, or made drift possible at all. In the meantime, the authorities have recognized these accidental circumstances being as the cause.
As a consequence of the bee deaths, the German national registration authority ordered the suspension, for precautionary reasons, of the registrations for insecticidal pesticides used as seed treatments in maize and oilseed rape, including products based on clothianidin and another active ingredient imidacloprid. After detailed examinations, the authority lifted the suspension for applications in oilseed rape, reasoning that the possibility of comparable incidents during the oilseed rape sowing could be ruled out for technical reasons.
The analyses of fruits, honey and environmental water in the region concerned, ordered by the authorities immediately after the incident, yielded no signs of clothianidin contamination. The ongoing analyses of maize pollen have also revealed no increases in contamination levels. Damage to bees resulting from maize pollen was not observed.
Sustainable solutions for bee safety in seed treatmentAn accidental happening of this kind does not cast general doubt on the safety of products containing clothianidin under correct use conditions, since the safety of these products – also with reference to bees – was subjected to detailed tests and risk assessments as part of the authorization procedure. However, a build-up of so many unfortunate factors like the incident in Southwest Germany was considered improbable up to now.
All the same, Bayer CropScience acknowledges that these occurrences will make action necessary to prevent similar incidents in the future. At present intensive work is being carried out, with the cooperation of all parties concerned in the production and application of treated seed, to achieve better quality assurance and inspection in the seed dressing process and to devise technical improvements to sowing machines. These activities are being backed up by additional analyses, tests and field trials in the region concerned.
Bayer CropScience has undertaken the task of harmonizing the requirements of a modern and efficient agriculture , safeguarding harvest yields to meet the rapidly rising food requirements of the world population, with the need to protect bees and the environment. To achieve this, the company is willing to engage in an objective and constructive dialogue with all parties concerned.
Link
TrackBack
http://uncleadolph.wordpress.com/2010/12/15/gores-ethanol-confession-not-nearly-enough-thereporteronline-com/
http://uncleadolph.wordpress.com/2010/10/13/john-mccain-now-says-climate-science-might-be-flawed/
UPDATE:
Pesticide issues in the works: Bee Die-Off in Germany Unrelated to CCD
Current as of June 2010
EPA has received a number of inquiries about recent bee deaths in Germany and whether this incident might be related to CCD. In May 2008, a large number of bees died unexpectedly in Germany. According to the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, this incident resulted from a combination of factors, including the specific formulation of the pesticide used, weather conditions, and type of application equipment.
Although EPA believes that this incident is not related to CCD, the Agency is examining its practices with respect to label requirements for seed treatment pesticides and will revise them as necessary to prevent the types of exposure that led to the bee deaths in Germany. For more information see EPA Acts to Protect Bees.
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/about/intheworks/4more-info.html
