"Bee hive test results show unprecedented levels of fluvalinate and coumaphos -- pesticides used by beekeepers in the hives to combat varroa mites -- in all comb and foundation wax samples. They found lower levels of 70 other pesticides and metabolites of those pesticides in pollen and bees."
"While the chemicals used to control varroa were expected, the other pesticides’ levels were also surprising. Every bee tested showed at least one pesticide, and pollen averaged six pesticides with as many as 31 in a sample. "It was a bit of a shock to see the levels and the widespread presence of these pesticides," said Maryann Frazier."
“We are finding fungicides that function by inhibiting the steroid metabolism in the fungal disease they target, but these chemicals also affect similar enzymes in other organisms,” Said James Frazier. “These fungicides, in combination with pyrethroids and/or neonictotinoids can sometimes have a synergistic effect hundreds of time more toxic than any of the pesticides individually.” The EPA only looks at acute exposure to individual pesticides, but chronic exposure may cause behavioral changes that are unmonitored.Here are two other links on pesticides and bees:
Yet, a North Carolina study found that some neonicotinoids in combination with certain fungicides, synergized to increase the toxicity of the neonicotinoid to honey bees over 1,000 fold in lab studies."
7 Ways to Shield Bees from Pesticides
Evidence That Pesticides Are Seriously Messing Up Our Honey Bees
While I was reading that, I got an alert about a new study that showed pesticides can cause Parkison's disease. I lost that article and have been unable to find it, but a quick search shows this is not something new. Several articles over the past 4 years (or longer) are stating the same link:
Pesticides and Parkinson's disease:
- 2005 New Scientist
- 2006 Scientific American
- 2007 Machines Like Us
- 2008 Medical News Today: Pesticide exposure can more than double risk of Parkinson's disease
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