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Bees are disappearing: Could a common lawn chemical be to blame Date published: 5/4/2008
SOME FOURTH GRADE students Two years ago beekeepers noticed an odd phenomenon: Like the vanishing Roanoke Colony of early Virginia, swarms of bees were disappearing without a trace. Hives were found empty of adults. Yet bee food (bee pollen and honey) and some "baby bees" were left behind. Stunned at this abnormal behavior, which they dubbed "colony collapse disorder," researchers set out to find the cause. Theories still are being tested. Some are blaming global warming, others a proliferation of parasites; some are pointing the finger at viral diseases, others indict electromagnetic energy from cell phones. Paul Tukey, the founding editor and publisher of People, Places & Plants magazine, has a different idea: He thinks a particular pesticide called "imidacloprid" may be the villain behind CCD. It's commonly found in lawn treatments aimed at eradicating grubs, aphids, whiteflies, and other pests. First patented in 1988, it has become more widely used during the last three years--the same period in which CCD appeared. The theory is that imidacloprid (commonly called Merit) doesn't kill bees directly; it disorients them so they can't find their way back to the hive. The effect is the same. The case of the disappearing bees is worth buzzing about: U.S. crops worth $15 to $20 billion a year are dependent on bees for pollination. Peaches, soybeans, blackberries, raspberries, cranberries, watermelon the list goes on, and includes virtually the entire California almond crop, worth $1.5 billion. These, moreover, are just the effects on commercial growers: Family gardens are also at risk. What to do? Clearly, further research is necessary to determine the cause of CCD. Meanwhile, there is enough concern about imidacloprid that some large growers, including the nation's largest producer of wild blueberries, are shunning it. Homeowners can, too, by checking labels on lawn-care products and, to play it doubly safe, using organic methods to control pests. The fragile balance of nature is often upset by the unintended consequences of man's intervention. The vanishing of birds and bees is yet another example. Is an emerald-green lawn worth the risk?
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