A report released by the Center for Biological Diversity reveals that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows the use of unapproved pesticides in the case of an emergency. The term emergency is defined in the dictionary as an unforeseen combination of circumstances. Looking at the instances of emergency approval from the EPA though, it’s clear the agency does not see it the same way. This loophole allows farmers to use deliberately unapproved or untested pesticides often without a public review or comment process, deliberating bypassing environmental and safety concerns.

It’s disgusting to see the EPA’s broken pesticide program bending over backward to appease the pesticide industry. These exemptions put people and wildlife at tremendous risk because they allow poisons to be applied in ways that would otherwise be illegal.” – Stephanie Parent, a senior attorney in the Center for Biological Diversity’s environmental health program

The report particularly highlights sulfoxaflor, a pesticide that was banned for killing bees while still being approved for 78 emergency approvals over the past six years and affecting more than 17.5 million acres of farmland. This pesticide had actually been approved for spraying on cotton, but that approval was canceled by a judge in 2015. That reversal didn’t stop sulfoxaflor from being sprayed on cotton and bee-favorite sorghum through the emergency approval program. The EPA has yet to examine the effect this program has had on pollinators, though that isn’t anything we didn’t know.

One of the conditions for the approval of an emergency pesticide petition is “loss of pesticide,” wither through insects developing resistance or regulatory agencies canceling the pesticide. This is also known as the EPA doing its job. Yet the agency is more than willing to undermine its previous decisions and credibility. When will we be left with the bill for these shortcuts…or has it already arrived.

Recommended Reading:

• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Start Eating Like That and Start Eating Like This – Your Guide to Homeostasis Through Diet
• How to Make the Healthiest Smoothies – 4 Recipes
• Understanding and Detoxifying Genetically Modified Foods

Sources:

• EPA Allowing Widespread Use of Unapproved Pesticides, Study Finds – EcoWatch
• Poisonous Process – Biologically Diversity
• Decision to Register the Insecticide Sulfoxaflor with Limited Uses and Pollinator Protective Requirements – EPA

This September, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced their proposal to add the rusty patched bumble bee to the endangered species list. It would have been the first bee to be placed on the list. One week later, seven species of yellow–faced bees, native to Hawaii, jumped the line and were awarded the dubious honor.

The Endangered Species Act

Congress passed the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1973. Its purpose is to conserve the ecosystems of endangered and threatened species and to provide conservation programs to protect and restore them.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (overseeing land and freshwater plants and animals) and the National Marines Fisheries Service (overseeing marine wildlife and anadromous fish) administer the ESA.

Five factors are considered when a species is being evaluated:

1. Damage to, or destruction of, a species’ habitat
2. Overutilization of the species for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes
3. Disease or predation (killed by predators)
4. Inadequacy of existing protection
5. Other natural or manmade factors that affect the continued existence of the species

When wildlife is listed as endangered it is illegal to “…harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect or attempt to engage in any such conduct.” This includes “…significant habitat modification or degradation where it actually kills or injures wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns, including breeding, feeding, or sheltering.” – ESA Basics

The goal is to restore a species to the point it no longer requires protection. Recovery plans are written and implemented by the Fish and Wildlife Service with input and assistance from stakeholders including species experts; academia; other Federal, State, and local agencies; Tribes; and nongovernmental organizations.

Who Are the Stakeholders for Bees?

An argument could be made that every human on Earth is a stakeholder in the preservation and restoration of bees. According to the USDA, about 35% of the world’s food crops depends on pollinators for reproduction, and bees are considered our most important pollinators. We need them.

Generally, we think of commercial honeybees when we think of crop pollination. But bees are not our only pollinator. Wasps, birds, beetles, bats, butterflies, moths, ants, and other animals and insects contribute to pollination as well. Honeybees are only responsible for about 14% of crop pollination. Native bees and other insects are responsible for the majority of the work. These wild bees are being eradicated by pesticides, mono cropping, and habitat destruction.

When it comes to protecting the habitat of wild bees, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be battling with stakeholders who will come to the table to support their own interests. Pesticide companies and seed companies (companies that sell seeds coated with neonicotinoid pesticides) will do their best to protect their own interests as will commercial growers who will fight to continue mono cropping practices that are known to be destructive to both the soil and our pollinators. But these are not the only concerns for honey bees. In addition to herbicides, pesticides, mono cropping (which leads to nutritional deficiencies), and habitat destruction, honey bees face the following:

• 23 different known viruses
• Parasitic mites
• Fungal infections
• Bacterial pathogens
• Predators (small hive beetles)
• Chemical exposure (chemicals designed to assist beekeepers have been found to harm the hive)

What Does the Future Hold?

We live in a world with an ever-growing population and a fragile food supply. Climate change and drought are currently affecting crops, and no one knows how this will play out in the years to come. It is said that fewer than 20 crops provide 90% of the world’s food supply, and of that 90% more than half is comprised of 3 crops – maize, rice, and wheat.

We scramble to maintain genetic variety and diversity among these crops to prevent a catastrophic collapse due to blight or a parasitic infection. (Remember Ireland’s potato famine?)

We want to believe new technologies will save the world from starvation. GMOs, new fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, new mono crop farming methods, and factory farming practices to raise livestock are touted as the new way – a means to feed the world. But common sense and careful scrutiny show us these practices will only lead to a bleak and unsustainable future.

Herbicides and pesticides are destroying the soil. Animals raised in inhumane, filthy conditions breed disease. Herbicides and pesticides are one of the causes of leaky gut syndrome, which leads to a host of illnesses including a wide array of autoimmune diseases. GMOs and pesticides are also implicated as a causal factor in autism.

We’ve known that chemicals kill our pollinators for some time. We don’t know a lot about the effects of GMOs on pollinators because they were never appropriately tested. Current studies are being conducted on non-bee insect pollinators. Results are showing the non-bee insects are not as dependent on a natural habitat or semi-natural habitat as bees.

While it is encouraging to know bees are not our only pollinators, we can only hope these non-bee pollinators do not give us an excuse to continue destructive practices that are adding to the demise of bees and other pollinators.

We turn a blind eye to corporate greed that is creating a serious health crisis and using human beings to test their genetically altered creations and glyphosate soaked grains. Those of us who protest are being ignored and labeled as anti-science. Wouldn’t it be amazing if saving the bees leads to saving us as well?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRoffLvSG94

Recommended Reading:

• Understanding and Detoxifying Genetically Modified Foods
• Repel Mosquitoes by Cultivating Marigolds
• How Vertical Gardening Could Help Save the World
• Three Homemade Toothpaste Recipes – Better Oral Health for Less Cost

Sources:

• The Endangered Species Act of 1973 – (In its entirety)
• ESA Basics – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
• The Xerces Society Website
• Endangered Species • Endangered Species Act | Overview – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• You’re Worrying About the Wrong Bees – Wired
• Non-bee insects are important contributors to global crop pollination – PNAS
• Buzzkills: abiotic and biotic stressors of pollinators – Penn State College of Agricultural Science
• Exemption Process under the Endangered Species Act: How the God Squad Works and Why – Notre Dame Law Review

A recent study by researchers from Boston University and Abraxis LLC found significant amounts of glyphosates in a food that you wouldn’t necessarily expect: honey.

Five categories of food items were tested from Philadelphia grocery stores: honey, corn and pancake syrup, soy milk, tofu, and soy sauce. Sixty-two percent of the conventional honeys and 45% of the organic honeys sampled had levels of glyphosates above the minimum established limits.

It’s hard to ignore the presence of glyphosate in a large portion of our food supply. Glyphosate is the main ingredient in Monsanto’s star herbicide, Roundup. It is interesting to note that the level of glyphosates was much higher in honey from countries that permitted GM crops; honey from the U.S. contained the highest levels.

Even the Organic Honey?

So how did so many of the 69 honey samples, including 11 organic samples, tested contain such high levels of glyphosates? There are two reasons for this. Given that a single honeybee can fly over 6 miles to find nectar and bring back a total of 250 pounds of nectar a year, modern life is set up so that it is almost impossible for them to avoid harmful substances. Pesticides, herbicides, and toxins released into the air from factories and cities make it impossible for all but the most remote beehives to maintain 100% purity.

There’s also the issue of the wax that bees use for their hives. Bees are at risk for Varroa mites, an external parasite that reproduces in the hives, so conventional beekeepers frequently use pesticides to get rid of them. Beeswax retains chemicals, so over time, these chemicals build up and make their way into the honey. While the use of pesticides directly on the beehives isn’t an issue for beekeepers using organic methods, the issue is where they source their wax. A survey of pesticide residues in beehives found that over 98% of them contained at least one pesticide. With such a large amount of wax contaminated, it’s likely that organic beekeepers who purchase commercially available wax will be unable to avoid these toxins.

Can I Ever Eat Honey Again?

Is there any way around the amount of herbicides and pesticides in honey? Short answer? Probably not. Countries that don’t allow genetically modified crops have lower levels of herbicides in their honey, but that list of countries is under attack every day that Monsanto and their buddies are in business. With increased use of chemicals in farming, a greater amount of herbicides and pesticides will make it way into beehives, causing a ripple effect throughout bee colonies.

If you’re going to purchase honey, your best bet is to do your research. Talking to local beekeepers at farmer’s markets can give you an idea of the quality of honey available directly in your area. Even though there were glyphosates in the organic honey, there were still more in the conventional honey. You can increase your odds of getting less toxic honey by researching which countries don’t allow GMOs (not a bad solution for other products, either!).

If you find yourself eating honey often, it could be a good idea to do a detox to remove Candida and toxins from your body.

Further Reading:

• Monsanto Company Profile Part I of IV
• Foods That Are GMO

Sources: 

• Pennsylvania Researchers Discover Glyphosate Herbicide in Honey and Soy Sauce – Sustainable Pulse
• Organic Honey Is A Sweet Illusion – Scientific American
• High Levels of Miticides and Agrochemicals in North American Apiaries: Implications for Honey Bee Health – Journals | Public Library Of Science