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EPA Confirms Activists’ Longtime Claims: Neonicotinoid Pesticide Threatens Honeybees

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Wednesday that a preliminary risk assessment of the pesticide imidacloprid shows that the chemical poses a threat to some pollinators, specifically honeybees.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.organicconsumers.org

Honeybees, one of the major insects that pollinate most of our crops and grains, have been beseiged by a variety of factors, including climate change, varroa mites, and pesticides.  For years, environmentalists have asked the federal government to ban the use of certain insecticides becaue of suspected damage to hives and their bee colonies. And now, the EPA has released an environmental risk assessment that agrees with the concerns of environmental groups. The EPA concluded that neonicotinoid-based pesticides pose a serious threat to pollinators, including honey bees, wasps, and other beneficial insects.  The pesticide imidalcloprid was singled out as one of the most deadly substances to honeybees.  Perhaps it’s time to reconsider our insect control protocols before we lose more pollinators to “hive death” from over exposure to toxic chemicals.  No one doubts the effectiveness of these chemicals–they work too well, killing nearly every insect that comes in contact with the substances. If we lose honeybees, many of the crops we’ve grown to depend on will be gone.  That’s something worth considering.  In addition, some of these pesticides present health risks to humans.  In March 2015, The World Health Organization deemed ingredients in the herbicide RoundUp as “carcinogenic to humans.”  We are slowly killing ourselves and the crops that feed us.  Starvation won’t be pleasant. The opinions expressed in this insight are mine unless otherwise stated.  Aloha, Russ.

See on Scoop.itPRG HAWAII NEWS WITH RUSS ROBERTS


Filed under: Hawaii News, Opinion,analysis, and discussion., prgnewshawaii Tagged: EPA, Glyphosate, GMOs, Hawaii, KHON 2 news, Monsanto, Neonicotinoid Pesticides kill honeybees

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