Easy as Hey-Bee-See


Easy as Hey-Bee-See

"If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive."
- Dale Carnegie

This past weekend, I visited my daughter
Jennifer in Sag Harbor, New York. Jen took me to
a local farmer's market by the waterfront at which
local merchants sold the foods they harvested.

I got into a conversation with Mary Woltz, a local
beekeeper. I told her that I do not eat honey because
I do not consider it a vegan product. My reason is this:
most beekeepers take the bee's honey, then substitute
sugar syrup or high fructose corn syrup for the bees
to survive the winter. I believe that this protocol
weakens a bee's immune system, and many do not
survive the winter months due to the death of their
hives.

Experts call beehive death colony collapse disorder.
In 2008, 32 percent of beehives were lost. In 2009,
36 percent of beehives perished.

Mary informed me that her bees were organic.
They gather pollen from organically grown flowers
in nearby fields. Bees usually do not fly more than
a mile from their homes. She also abhors the practice
of supplementing a bee's diet with anything other
than the natural honey they produce. She shares their
honey, but has perfected her craft so that her hive
survival rate is over 95 percent.

Last week, I read a book which was written in 2008
called A SPRING WITHOUT BEES. The author makes a
strong case for the reason that bees are disappearing.
He blames it on a widely used chemical pesticide
called Imidacloprid.

Two years before the publication of this book,
Notmilk blamed the problem of disappearing honey
bees on that very same chemical, Imidacloprid.

More than four years ago, Notmilk reported:

Where Have all the Honey Bees Gone?

(The amazing story of dairy industry culpability)

I live in New Jersey, America's Garden State. Believe it
or not, we have a state insect, the honey bee. Honey bees
pollinate crops. It's actually a big business. Pollinators
travel America, leasing their bees to crop growers. Beekeepers
keep the honey. During World War II, there were over 6 million
commercial beehives in America. By the mid-1980s, that number
had dropped to 4 million. Today, there are 2.5 million remaining.
America's honey bees are disappearing, and those who best know
bees have a number of theories, but no one conclusive reason.
The one universally accepted fact is that bees are in trouble.

Could an aspirin manufacturer be the cause of the bee's demise?
The Bayer Aspirin Company may be giving our environment an
incurable migraine headache.

My first hint came from an ad in the April 10, 2006
issue of Hoard's Dairyman. There, on page 270, a full
color advertisement proclaims:

"Bayer supplies the technology to fix the milking
machine on the right."

On the right side of the ad is an enlarged photo of
a most grotesque fly with large red eyes and appendages
containing end-to-end cactus-like spurs.

In smaller text, Bayer informs prospective customers:

"Bayer understands how much profit flies suck out of
your entire operation. That's why we developed QuickBayt
Pour-On insecticide...put the high-tech tools from Bayer
to work." (Bayer is owned by the IG Farben Company, and
no, I will not be getting into that controversy here...)

I began to search the Internet for the secret ingredients to
Bayer's miracle fly solution. Gobs and gobs of this high-tech
gunk are slathered onto dairy cow's bodies. What's in QuickBayt
that makes life so very dangerous for the honey bee?

Imidacloprid.

Imidacloprid is a widely used insecticide that has environmentalists
extremely concerned. Apparently, scientists have known for many
years the impact that imidacloprid has on wildlife. Here are some
of the recognized hazards of using imidacloprid:

Imidacloprid has raised concerns because of its possible impact on
bee populations...it is also acutely toxic to earthworms...

Imidacloprid has raised concerns because it causes eggshell thinning
in endangered bird species...it is highly toxic to sparrows, quails,
canaries, and pigeons...

Imidacloprid can be toxic to humans, causing epileptic seizures,
diarrhea, and lack of coordination...

Imidacloprid is extremely toxic at low concentrations to some
species of aquatic fish and crustaceans...

Can food be contaminated with imidacloprid? You tell me whether
this is comedy or tragedy at work. Neither the United States
Department of Agriculture nor the Food and Drug Administration
includes imidacloprid in their food monitoring programs.

Two European studies have shown that vegetables tested with
imidacloprid were contaminated, one week after exposure.

It seems clear that imidacloprid use on dairy farms should be
closely monitored by regulatory agencies. The Bayer Company
is making lots of money on this drug, but the true cost might
become America's newest headache. My advice to FDA and USDA
regulators who refuse to regulate: Take two imidacloprids
and call me in the morning.

Robert Cohen
http://www.notmilk.com