In the recent Urban Forestry Today Webcast “Neonicotinoids, Bees, and Urban Trees: The Controversy Defined” Richard S. Cowles of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station examined claims that neonicotinoids are directly linked to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). His conclusion, when it comes to honey bee stressors was that “neonicotinoids are almost insignificant. There are many, many more factors that are orders of magnitude more important.” Like many researchers, Cowles points to the varroa mite as the primary culprit and concludes that current attempts to ban neonics are an overreaction. The Webcast lasts for just under one hour and the examination of the connection between neonics and pollinator health starts around the seventeen minute mark of the program.
A similar message was voiced by Dr. Gus Lorenz an entomologist with the University of Arkansas. In a podcast last month conducted by the Arkansas Farm Bureau, Lorenz speaks of a field study that he recently conducted on the impact of plants grown with neonic treated seeds on pollinator health. His research indicates that by the time plants get to a blooming stage there are only trace amounts of neonics in the nectar and pollen of plants and the levels present are way below even a sub lethal level.
Across the country we are seeing organized efforts by activist organizations to ban neonics on the premise that they kill bees. However, a growing body of science directly counters this claim. NALP and our allies are actively working to oppose efforts to limit or ban pesticide use by educating decision makers at all levels of government. However, we need to augment our efforts with an active, informed, and vocal contingent of landscape professionals. In short, we need you to get involved and act as a voice to advance the interests of the industry.
Whenever presented with an opportunity, it is important for local landscape professionals to address the need for ongoing research about pollinator health and stress the importance of fact-based science in all discussions about pollinators. To learn how you can get involved in NALP advocacy efforts, please contact Paul Mendelsohn, NALP Vice President of Government Relations.
