Bees and chemicals

Well for anyone who has been reading the forum recently, one would be excused for believing the forum has an eco warrior zone first and bee forum second. Yes - there has been alot written about chemicals and their effects on our bees.

A bit about me - I am not 'Organic' I don't vote Green I am not a Vegan I am not a member of any 'pressure' groups. If anything, I am the complete opposite. However, it is my sincere belief that for far too long big Agri-chemical companies have been getting away with murder for too long - the murder of our worldwide bee population !

My concern lies simply in the fact that many chemicals already on the market can combine and create a critical and deadly cocktail of severe proportions for our bees that are ingested via pollen or nectar.

Many new chemicals are being 'tested' to get onto the market each year, with very little consideration for their true impact on pollinators.

We, as a group of beekeepers, need to take action NOW. Even if no one else will - WE owe it to ourselves, our bees and therefore the POPULATION to do something that raises the issues with the people who matter.

 

[Firegazer]

I guess the only people who can affect things are those people who are currently paying the chemical companies for the chemicals.

If they think they can achieve a short term improvement in their crop yields (and thus yearly profits) by applying chemicals, and if they DON'T care about what happens to bees or the prospects of sustainable farming in a few years' time when THEY aren't farming anymore, there's not much chance of gentle change.

I don't think the public can have much effect; I don't think politicians care enough, or are really after 'what is best'.

If the farmers start worrying about what the chemicals will do to bees, the chem companies will have to be more careful about what they make, but I don't see how they can be persuaded to 'vote for Christmas'.

Maybe things will get all legal, in the same way Tobacco companies have been sued for causing smoking-related illnesses? If the chem companies had to factor in possible liabilities from farmers and others for 'killing off essential parts of the ecosystem', it may make the business less profitable and reduce it somewhat. This would be exploiting the greed of the litigating lawyers against the greed of the chem companies and the remaining chem-using farmers. Lawyers scrapping over everything depresses me hugely, but at least it has some stability to it, rather than hoping chem companies will 'do the right thing' under any other pressure.

Just my thoughts.

FG