Mystery of the disappearing bees: Solved!

Honey bees are widespread and are bred commercially for their abilities to produce honey and pollinate crops. Over the last 15 years, however, there has been increasing observations of bees disappearing in large numbers.

Christened “Colony collapse disorder” (CCD) with losses of between 29 and 36 percent in a year the concern economically, because many agricultural crops worldwide are pollinated by bees; and ecologically, because of the major role that bees play in the reproduction of plant communities in the wild.

There have been many theories:

• Stress and Diet
• Radiation from Mobile Phones
• Genetically Modified Food
• Pesticides
• Global Warming
• Abundance of bacteria
• Viruses
• A specific fungal disease

CCD has kept scientists busy and now there are three new studies pointing an accusing finger at a culprit that many have suspected all along, a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids.

Wikipedia shows that Neonicotinoids are a class of neuro-active insecticides chemically related to nicotine. The development of this class of insecticides began with work in the 1980s by Shell and the 1990s by Bayer. The neonicotinoids were developed in large part because they show reduced toxicity compared to previously used organophosphate and carbamate insecticides. Most neonicotinoids show much lower toxicity in mammals than insects, but some breakdown products are toxic.

Neonicotinoids are the first new class of insecticides introduced in the last 50 years, and the neonicotinoid imidacloprid is currently the most widely used insecticide in the world.

An abstract from the report “A Common Pesticide Decreases Foraging Success and Survival in Honey Bees” Published Online 29 March, 2012 and on Science Journal website on 20 April, 2012 states:

Nonlethal exposure of honey bees to thiamethoxam (neonicotinoid systemic pesticide) causes high mortality due to homing failure at levels that could put a colony at risk of collapse. Simulated exposure events on free-ranging foragers labeled with a radio-frequency identification tag suggest that homing is impaired by thiamethoxam intoxication. These experiments offer new insights into the consequences of common neonicotinoid pesticides used worldwide.

The German chemical giant Bayer has come out in defence of its product and claims that the commonly used crop pesticide is not responsible for the global decline of bees. According to Bayer, the research is “factually inaccurate and seriously flawed, both in its methodology and conclusions”.

A second Science paper on Science looked at neonicotinoid pesticides’ effect on bumblebees, which have also gone into severe decline. The researchers subjected bumblebee colonies to “field-realistic levels of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid” and then “allowed them to develop naturally under field conditions.” The result: “Treated colonies had a significantly reduced growth rate and suffered an 85% reduction in production of new queens.” Their conclusion: “Given the scale of use of neonicotinoids, we suggest that they may be having a considerable negative impact on wild bumble bee populations across the developed world.”

In a third study, published in the American Chemical Society’s Environmental Science & Technology journal, researchers looked at what happens to bees when farmers plant treated seeds. Since seed coating with neonicotinoid insecticides was introduced in the late 1990s, European beekeepers have reported severe colony losses in the period of corn sowing. When foraging bees are exposed to neonic-containing dust the authors found “lethal effects compatible with colony losses phenomena observed by beekeepers.”

An abstract from this third study, “Assessment of the environmental exposure of honeybees to particulate matter containing neonicotinoid insecticides coming from corn coated seeds“, published 17 Feb, 2012 states:

As a consequence, seed-coating neonicotinoid insecticides that are used worldwide on corn crops have been blamed for honeybee decline. In view of the currently increasing crop production, and also of corn as a renewable energy source, the correct use of these insecticides within sustainable agriculture is a cause of concern. In this paper, a probable–but so far underestimated–route of environmental exposure of honeybees to and intoxication with neonicotinoid insecticides, namely, the atmospheric emission of particulate matter containing the insecticide by drilling machines, has been quantitatively studied. Using optimized analytical procedures, quantitative measurements of both the emitted particulate and the consequent direct contamination of single bees approaching the drilling machine during the foraging activity have been determined. Experimental results show that the environmental release of particles containing neonicotinoids can produce high exposure levels for bees, with lethal effects compatible with colony losses phenomena observed by beekeepers.

Both Germany and France banned neonicotinoids until further study, the rest of the world barely even blinked as more and more bees died. On 22 August, 2012 the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) made provided the following media release:

22 August 2012

In Europe and the USA there have been concerns for some time about the potential for insecticides to impact on the health of honey bees and other insect pollinators. Of particular interest is whether a particular class of insecticides, the neonicotinoids, might have sub-lethal effects on bees, which may reduce their ability to pollinate plants and produce honey.
These concerns have created some anxiety among Australian beekeepers who have noted that many of the neonicotinoids used overseas are also used here.
Accordingly, the APVMA has commenced an investigation of the scientific literature to determine whether:

• use of neonicotinoids in Australia presents any more of a risk to honey bee health than other pesticides that have been in use for many years
• current APVMA data requirements for testing of insecticides are adequate to address any potential effects of neonicotinoids on bees.

The outcomes of their investigation will be published by early 2013. Given the bans already in place in other countries surely this time frame can hardly be considered acceptable.

If you feel strongly enough about this issue to request APVMA to address this issue in a shorter time frame then contact the Chief Regulatory Scientist (Pesticides) on Phone: +61 2 6210 4701 or email at communications@apvma.gov.au

The Kritic has approached them for a comment on the timeframe and will provide an update to this story if and when I get a response.

For most of us, what landholders use for their fencing is rarely given thought or, even rarer, a second thought.

However it is something that we all need to give thought to. Each year thousands of injuries are sustained by wildlife from the use of fencing that has had no consideration of what affects it may have on wildlife. These injuries range from the minor to horrific deaths.

More than 75 wildlife species have been identified in Australia as occasional or regular victims of barbed wire fences, especially nocturnal animals such as bats, gliders and owls. This problem is not unique to Australia and its occurrence in other countries is well documented.

Just take a moment to imagine what it would be like to be trapped, to die from exposure, thirst, fright or worse – to be eaten alive!

One example – Kangaroo ‘fencehanging’, occurs when a kangaroo attempts to jump a fence but misses the top. Instead its leg or legs pass between the top wire and the next one down. The body then flies forward over the top and as it falls towards the ground pulls the second wire over the top wire and trapping the leg(s) tight and acting like a tourniquet.

      
Photos: Rob Schmidt

As illustrated in the above photos it is not just barbed wire that causes havoc, however it is a major factor in injury and deaths. In many cases barbed wire does not perform an essential function in its inclusion in fencing solutions and where it is essential relatively simple measures could be utilised to reduce its impact. However because there is so much barbed wire in the Australian landscape, in both rural and urban environments, combined with little awareness of the issues it is a daunting task for those wishing to educate its users.

There are two main factors in Wildlife Un-Friendly Fencing: Design and Positioning. To aid in the education and use of Wildlife Friendly Fencing there are resources available for those willing to take an interest in providing the best possible solution for land management and wildlife. The main resource in Australia for this service is the Wildlife Friendly Fencing project.

The Wildlife Friendly Fencing website is at www.wildlifefriendlyfencing.com.

Wildlife Friendly Fencing is fencing that is safe and effective for wildlife, people and livestock. It:

• does not entangle or harm wildlife.
• allows the appropriate free movement of wildlife across rural and urban landscapes.
• may mean no fence at all.

What you can do:

• Make your fences wildlife friendly.
• Monitor barbed wire fences in your area and encourage landholders to go wildlife friendly.
• Encourage the promotion of wildlife friendly fencing by natural resource management groups, Councils, fencing contractors and suppliers.
• Help distribute the WFF brochure.
• Visit www.wildlifefriendlyfencing.com for advice and information.

Report entangled animals to your local wildlife rescue organisation. You can find them at www.fauna.org.au Rescue is best left to experienced carers with the skills to minimise further harm, and who can take the animal into care for assessment and rehabilitation.

Please do not attempt to handle flying foxes or bats by yourself.

There is no funding to run or coordinate the project. Tolga Bat Hospital was awarded a grant from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in 2006 to begin the project and continues to coordinate the project on a voluntary basis. They welcome donations to continue this work and all donations are tax deductible.

Jennefer Maclean of Tolga Bat Rescue and Research Inc (Tolga Bat Hospital) in Atherton Australia is the coordinator of the Wildlife Friendly Fencing project. “We are currently producing a new wildlife friendly fencing brochure to be accompanied by a matching wildlife friendly fruit tree netting brochure. Three videos will be put on the website on how to net your fruit trees without endangering wildlife.”