

First identified in 2006, Colony Collapse Disorder is a continuing problem plaguing beekeepers worldwide. Bees are a keystone organism for a large portion of the food eaten worldwide, so the deep concern has resulted in a rush to find out a cause. While some early thinking that it may have to do with cell phones, or possibly the increase in the use of systemic herbicides, such as Monsanto’s RoundUp, hard research has found something quite different.

New studies are now pointing to Neonicotinoid Pesticides, a form of pesticide based on nicotine. Research on these pesticides began in the 1980’s, and the first commercial neonicotinoid pesticide was introduced in 1994, but was not given approval for use in agriculture until 2005, when the Bush administration gave an exemption, allowing for its use before the full impact study of its use could be completed. This study is still ongoing.

What the research found was that exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides results in conditions which mimic those reported by sufferers of colony collapse disorder. Based on the preliminary research, the European Union has suspended the use of them in agriculture much to the dismay of suppliers such as Beyer. While the studies are not yet conclusive, they have identified several individual components which are confirmed to be caused by the pesticides. While the research is not yet complete, the initial findings of small scale research do point to this class of pesticide to have a role in the disorder. Larger scale studies are ongoing to verify the initial results with a larger sample group. However even the smaller sample was more than enough for the European Union to conclude that it posed a risk and so erred on the side of caution.

The EPA’s rules for pesticide introduction require a 15 year study of effects before widespread introduction, with re-studies handled every 15 years thereafter. That the Bush administration were to jump this process, and allow for neonicotonoid use before the safety could be established reminds us of just how much damage his policies have done to the United States.

However, this has become a golden opportunity for agricultural giant Monsanto. Last year they purchased Beelogics, an Israeli company dedicated to honeybee research in the area of pest management. Combining Beelogics knowledge of the honeybee with Monsanto’s knowledge of genetic modification, it is easy to see how the paranoid may conclude that the collapse disorder was engineered, and that Monsanto plans to introduce a super-bee, by killing off the humble honey bee. In reality, Monsanto is instead covering their bases, as without honeybees, their sales of seeds such as cotton and alfalfa would plummet, costing them billions of dollars.

It is easy to jump to conclusions when disaster strikes. Only by taking a reasoned, and methodical approach can the correct conclusions be reached. Due to this research, now the cause has been tentatively identified, and can be addressed. Imagine for a moment if we were to rush to conclusion, as you find over in the right-wing world. The bees would not be saved, and by the time the mistake were realized, serious and perhaps permanent damage could have happened to our food supply. This is why scientific method is so important, even when the conclusions do not mate up with your world view. Some may hate Monsanto, and see them as the evilest thing on the planet, and when the issue became apparent were eager to blame colony collapse disorder on them just as they had tried to blame it for other problems in the past. In the end, it looks very unlikely to be related to the company, and instead on a nicotine derivative introduced not too long ago and approved for use, before research was concluded, by the Bush Administration.