EU Bans Bee Killing Pesticide
- 11 years ago
The EU bans a bee killing pesticide.
The European Union has decided to ban the use of certain pesticides that have been blamed for the worldwide decline in bee populations.
15 out of 27 members of the EU voted in support of the ban, which was celebrated by environmentalist groups.
The ban puts restrictions on the use of several pesticides made by Bayer in Germany, and one made by Syngenta in Switzerland.
Over 30 different scientific studies have linked the pesticides to the bee population decline.
One study from March of 2012 showed that when a colony of bumble bees is sprayed by pesticide levels that matched those found in the field, the production of new queen bees went down by 85 percent and the growth rate of the hive was significantly decreased.
Another study found that the pesticides are contributing to colony collapse disorder because the bees aren’t able to find their way back to the hive.
Britain voted against the ban with the government wanting to wait for additional trial results and farmers are saying that the chemicals are necessary to keep their crops safe from beetles or aphids.
The European Commission will review the ban after it is implemented for two years.
The European Union has decided to ban the use of certain pesticides that have been blamed for the worldwide decline in bee populations.
15 out of 27 members of the EU voted in support of the ban, which was celebrated by environmentalist groups.
The ban puts restrictions on the use of several pesticides made by Bayer in Germany, and one made by Syngenta in Switzerland.
Over 30 different scientific studies have linked the pesticides to the bee population decline.
One study from March of 2012 showed that when a colony of bumble bees is sprayed by pesticide levels that matched those found in the field, the production of new queen bees went down by 85 percent and the growth rate of the hive was significantly decreased.
Another study found that the pesticides are contributing to colony collapse disorder because the bees aren’t able to find their way back to the hive.
Britain voted against the ban with the government wanting to wait for additional trial results and farmers are saying that the chemicals are necessary to keep their crops safe from beetles or aphids.
The European Commission will review the ban after it is implemented for two years.