After watching the movie Vanishing Bees in this module I ran into this article that related neonictinoids, a pesticide used in Europe, has been shown to harm bees. The European Union will soon ban all insecticides on outdoor crops. The agencies discovered that bees are exposed to harmful and residual amount of insecticides that could be related to the disappearance of bees. There were three neonictinoids that were of most concern, and most studied. The agencies reviewed over 1500 studies published from a variety of trusting resources including NGOs, chemical companies, beekeepers and farmers associates, and academia. I am in hopes that this continues to move forward so that America can learn from the Europeans.
Resource: Butler, Declan. (2018). EU expected to vote on pesticide ban after major scientific review. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-02639-1.
In the movie, Vanishing Bees, people in the US traveled to France to learn how they handled CCD and it seems like Europe is taking it more serious than the US. Many European countries have already banned the use of pesticides and it's great to hear that they are continuing to try and save the bees. I also hope that the US will follow their example and ban all insecticides too because it's not just bad for the bees, but it's harmful to human health.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think it is important for America to learn from the Europeans and research more about the harmful effects of neonictinoids. I learned a small amount about the pesticide when I was interning at the Planet Bee Foundation. Although, being a terrible intern, I didn't care too much about bees. However, my mind has changed now. I think it is essential for people to learn about the various causes of why honey bees are vanishing.
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