June 07, 2013 at 10:19 AM
Washington Agriculture Department Director Bud Hover told Thurston County commissioners in a letter Thursday there’s no evidence of significant harm to honeybee colony health in Washington from the bug killers known as neonicotinoid pesticides. The Associated Press
YAKIMA — The state Agriculture Department declined a request to restrict a class of backyard pesticides suspected of killing honeybees.
There’s no documented evidence the use of neonicotinoid pesticides is a significant contributor to the decline of bee colonies in Washington, department Director Bud Hover told Thurston County commissioners Thursday in a letter. The commission had requested restrictions on behalf of beekeepers.
“The proposed use restrictions are not appropriate at this time,” Hover wrote.
The pesticides commonly called neonics are used to kill aphids and other insects on ornamental plants. They also are used on some crops, The Yakima Herald-Republic reported Friday.
The state agency said it would monitor studies and ask federal regulators whether additional restrictions are needed.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency have said bee losses are the result of a number of factors, including parasites, disease, genetics, poor nutrition, as well as pesticide exposure, the state Agriculture Department said.
The Thurston County request sought to bar most homeowners from purchasing neonicotinoid insecticides and require anyone using them to obtain an applicator license from the state.
The state Agriculture Department said it will remind pesticide applicators of their responsibility to protect pollinators and help retailers provide information to home and garden users.
— The Associated Press
via Washington rejects ban on pesticide suspected of killing honeybees | OregonLive.com.
The Department of Agriculture deserves praise and congratulation. There is no evidence to suggest a link between pest control products and bee health. Pesticides ( and GMO crops ) do not harm bees. However, the bee-keepers themselves are harming bees. If some anti-pesticide activists and bee-keepers were not so scientifically illiterate, they would know that scientific research shows that, as reported through EPA’s and Health Canada’s vast toxicology database, no harm will occur to bees with pest control products. Bee deaths are the fault of bee-keepers and their mis-management practices. Bee-keepers are responsible, and not pest control products and GMO crops. In their usual method of arriving at scientifically illiterate conclusions, the anti-pesticide activists and bee-keepers have somehow concocted the imaginary danger in order to deflect attention from the real problems. Of course, this is a myth ! Anti-pesticide activists and bee-keepers are the least qualified to provide any advice on this issue. http://wp.me/P1jq40-2BA http://wp.me/p1jq40-6H8 WILLIAM H. GATHERCOLE AND NORAH G https://pesticidetruths.com/ http://wp.me/P1jq40-2rr