Honeybee populations have been declining steadily since their populations were first recorded in 1998 down to nearly half of what the population total was in 2004. Their disappearance is of great concern because we rely on bees to pollinate roughly <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/decline-of-honey-bees-now-a-global-phenomenon-says-united-nations-2237541.html" target="_blank">70% of crop species </a>worldwide. While there remains a lot of uncertainty in the cause of their disappearance, recent studies are showing that insecticides are to blame.

<a href="http://midwestpesticideaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/bees.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-1692 " src="http://midwestpesticideaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/bees-300x200.jpg" alt="bees" width="346" height="230" /></a>

In <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/apr/07/britain-honey-bee-colony-deaths-worst-europe-study" target="_blank">April of 2013</a>, a study completed in the UK analyzed the rates of decline of honeybees in the European Union during the 2012-2013 winter. It showed that the rate of decline in the UK was significantly greater than that of other countries. While this study did not test for the effects of pesticide use on honeybee decline, it provided insight into the current state of bee population decline, and provided opportunity for further study of factors that are involved with bee colony mortality, such as weather changes, pesticide use, and habitat loss.

A New York study in 2012 was the first study to reveal insecticide use, specifically <a href="http://www.beyondpesticides.org/pollinators/chemicals.php" target="_blank">neonicotinoids</a>, as a reason for honeybee death. The cause was uncertain, but suggested the development of an immunodeficiency was a factor.

Now, after a <a href="http://www.bulletinofinsectology.org/pdfarticles/vol67-2014-125-130lu.pdf" target="_blank">Harvard study</a> was completed this past winter, it is believed that these insecticides are not affecting the bees’ immune defenses, but instead attacking their cognitive abilities, specifically memory and navigation. In this study, bee colonies were treated with reasonable, nonlethal doses of two common insecticides believed to be a contributor to bee colony disappearance. Half of the treated colonies were wiped out by the end of the season. This phenomenon is known as <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNPwOtEk3AY" target="_blank">Colony Collapse Disorder</a>, a symptomatic process in which honeybees abandon the safety of their nests during the winter, leading to the rapid death of the entire colony.

F<a href="http://midwestpesticideaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/bee-colorful.jpg"><img class="alignleft wp-image-1694 " src="http://midwestpesticideaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/bee-colorful-300x240.jpg" alt="bee colorful" width="300" height="240" /></a>ortunately, there are positive changes taking place to recover the honeybee population. In December 2013, the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/apr/29/bee-harming-pesticides-banned-europe" target="_blank">European Union voted in favor of a two year ban </a>of three widely used insecticides believed to be key contributors to honeybee death. This past April, <a href="http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=13312" target="_blank">Minnesota passed a bill</a> which bars garden stores from advertising plants as “bee-friendly” if they were pretreated with neonicotinoids, and labels neonicotinoids as pollinator lethal insecticides.

Insecticide use is not the only contributor to honeybee disappearance, but it is a key factor, and is a problem we have the ability to solve. There are some great ways to help support the reversal of the population decline. Visit <a href="http://midwestpesticideaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/MPAC-Bee-Friendly-Garden.pdf" target="_blank">MPAC’s Bee Friendly factsheet</a> to learn more about the issue and the methods you can use at home to save the bees.

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