Neonicotinoid | 1
Neonicotinoid Use and the Declining
Bee Population
David James Shreve
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Neonicotinoid | 2
Human over-population has continued to play a devastating role on the bio-diversity of
our planet, from an un-noticed decline in a species to the total extinction. While some species
have died off in years past before we realized the effects of our unsustainable practices, the tragic
eradication continues to this very day. The Honey Bee is one such species that is in danger of
becoming an exhibit in a museum rather than a garden friend, and the sad part is there is a vast
amount of information that will provide both the cause and the cure.
While every cell of every species on this Earth has a purpose, from the annoying house
fly and the huge impact it has on the amount of garbage, to the dragonfly and its appetite for
mosquitoes and other pests. The honey bee has a huge impact on not only the life of plants, our
life, and life as a whole. Throughout the world people use honey bees in order to pollenate large
crops, while the bees would find the location naturally, the placement of bee hives assures quick
and uniform pollination. Flowering plants such as peaches, apples, tomatoes, and about every
other fruit or vegetable grown require pollination to create the fruit or to reproduce. Most flowers
contain nectar which attracts the bee; it is when the bee lands to gather the nectar, which is
similar to sugar water that the bee transfers pollen grains from one flower to another (How Stuff
Works, 2008). Some of the pollen is also taken back to the hive and mixed with water, this “bee
bread” is then fed to the growing larva (The British Beekeepers Association, 2007 - 2013). It is
through this process that the honey bee makes its self-invaluable to everything living; from the
primary producer or the flowering plant, throughout the consumer regardless of whether you eat
the fruit as a primary consumer, or if you eat the chicken who ate the spider that ate the
caterpillar who ate the tomato as a tertiary consumer. And that is the reason that honey bees
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Neonicotinoid | 3
affect all of life, while we might not eat the plant, we will end up eating something that fed on
the plant (Dan Botkin, 2011).
Although the United States is home to roughly 2.4 million bee hives, with each hive
containing somewhere between 10 to 50 thousand bees, there is still great danger that the honey
bee population could all but perish in the next 20 to 30 years (Binns, 2013). That may seem like
it could not happen in such a short time with so many bee hives, but sadly that is not the case. In
the last 63 years we have seen the decline in the honey bee population drop down 50%, and that
is a dismal enough fact without speeding up the process (Kosek, 2010).
Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD was first noticed by commercial beekeepers beginning
in the winter of 2005-2006 (Sainath, 2011). Rather than losing the average 15% of the hives, a
startling loss of between 30% and 90% was noticed. This percentage of around 30% give or take
continues to plague managed bee hives today, to add to the issue it has spread from a domestic
problem to a worldwide epidemic (Sainath, 2011). Please note; at this early time the term Colony
Collapse Disorder had not yet been used to describe the loss, and no one could have guessed just
how bad the situation would become.
The first beekeeper to report the loss of hives and report the issue on a large enough scale
to draw the needed attention was David Hackenberg whose large apiaries in Pennsylvania and
Florida are sent all over the United States. Strangely when he examined his hives he noticed that
the adult honey bees were missing, yet the brood remained and they appeared to be healthy
(Watanabe, 2008). Mr. Hackenberg contacted Penn State and explained that knew something
was terribly wrong. He explained the disappearance with his bees that he had placed in both
Maine, to pollenate blueberries and California, to pollenate almonds. Penn State entomologist
Diana Cox – Foster began the continuing search to not only find the cause, but to find out just
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how localized the issue was. Unfortunately it turns out CCD is not local at all, in most countries
with managed hives beekeepers and workers were reporting the same issues. But were they
related?
A virus that was first described in Israel circa 2004 dubbed Israeli acute paralysis virus
(IAPV) was linked to CCD but not as a cause, it seemed that bees already showing symptoms of
CCD were weakened and more susceptible to other pathogens (Watanabe, 2008). IAPV markers
were found in the United States Department of Agriculture’s freezers dating back to 2002, predating the 2004-2005 outbreak of CCD. (Watanabe, 2008) There were also disease pathogens
found in Australia, Canada, Africa, and other countries. Before 2004 -2005 there are no reported
hives with the symptoms of CCD in the United States, and out of coincidence 2005 was the same
year that the United States Congress made an exemption to the Honey bee Act of 1922 which
forbade the importation of any and all honey bees into the United States to prevent such diseases.
Along with the IAPV there was also the Isle of Wight disease (IWD) caused by tracheal mites,
IWD was found in Europe and now as IAPV is also linked to CCD but also as an effect of a
weakened colony. In China 2002, a bacterial infection dubbed “foulbrood” would destroy bee
larva, due to the exemption on the ban, the United States is susceptible to viruses and bacteria
that once were not an issue. As far as the actual diagnosis of CCD in other countries, the question
is; are we observing the same causes. (Gary, 2010)
The disappearance of bees or even decline in the number of bees will have a domino
effect and could add extra stress on healthy colonies as well as cause colonies that are weakened
to totally die-off. If or more likely when this happens, the areas and countries that are already
having agricultural issues and un-able to provide enough food could end up with human
causalities from malnutrition, also there is the possibility and likelihood that the animals will also
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Neonicotinoid | 5
be affected from lack of food as well. As stated previously; while CCD has been reported in
other countries, is it the same? Another global issue is affecting bumblebees, while the honey bee
is a managed pollinator; bumblebees are the only social wild bee. While the Bombus ternarius
was once not a very common bumblebee native to Canada, between 2004 -2006 they were
significantly more abundant, yet Bombus affinis, another type of bumblebee is all but gone.
However, even the bumblebee is being put at risk and reaping the consequences of our poor
decisions when it comes to the environment. North American queen bumblebees exported to
Europe were infected by European parasites, transferring the parasites back to North America
and this practice was responsible for the loss of short-tongued bumblebee species. In the United
States Bombus occidentails had disappeared in the year 2000 from a large population in 1940,
the same is true with Bombus affinis (Kaplan, 2009). With this going on where we are able to
observe it, what other species depend on or can be affected by the health of the honey bee. All
the sources and references prove that the honey bee alone is solely responsible for one-third
(1/3rd) of all food due to pollination, and while it could be done by people the time and outcome
would be un-productive (Miller, 2012).
The amount of science and research on this disorder (CCD) is overwhelming, if a person
was to look hard enough, they would be able to find information blaming the use of cell phones,
over-working, stress, Varroa mites, as well as viruses, and even travel. One such study that I
extensively researched and even experimented with was the Varroa mite, and the actual life span
of a bee with no other pathogens.
In this experiment I used the carpenter bee due to the similarities and the fact I did not
want to expose anyone’s honey bees to yet another health hazard. I used two different sections of
my front porch that had a good deal of distance between them and a buffer zone of carpenter
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bees to avoid cross contamination. Each area contained 7 bees that had made their homes at
roughly the same time; there also was no difference in the wood or any other variable. I removed
one bee from each area and with the use of my digital microscope found that both were carrying
Varroa mite(s). After watching the behavior for one week, I applied weed killer Trimec® three
feet away from group one, group two did not have any pesticides applied near their area. Within
six days side one bees were flying strange and they would seem to land and be disorganized. 8
days side one had no activity and after digging one out of the wood, I found that the mites were
still alive. Side two bees still had mites but continue to live to this day. While this is not
definitive proof, I believe that it gets the research and questions going in the right direction and I
can rule out the Varroa mite as being the cause of CCD and just like with the other viruses can
list it as an effect of CCD.
Did my experiment prove anything? Did it substantiate my theory that all these other
“causes” are just side effects of a larger issue? No and Yes. During my research I came across
three things that stood out, these facts are contradictory to research findings done by the
mainstream bee health labs. The first fact is what was stated by Mr. Hackenberg and his missing
bees, he stated that “The workers were missing, but the healthy brood remained” (Hackenberg,
2006). This can totally discredit a claim made by Steve Sheppard a professor of entomology at
Washington State University. Professor Sheppard claims that “The biggest problem for
beekeepers is controlling the mite.” (Gary, 2010) But if the brood is healthy, the mites are not the
issue. The Varroa mite causes all sorts of issues from feeding on the adult bee to causing the
brood to have defects like deformed wings, and the chances of actually having healthy brood in a
colony that is missing all of the workers and nurses is highly unlikely if even possible. Another
problem with the mite theory, the mites have been here since at least 1980 without massive dieThis paper may be freely used in part, or in whole as long as the authors name and references are
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offs. Another issue is the Varroa mite, IAPV, and the other pathogens do not cause the bee(s) to
leave the nest in order to die, in fact with my experiment and the mite the bees died in the nest.
According to the USDA; “No single variable was found consistently in only those honey
bee colonies that had CCD” (Pettis, 2009) “The researchers also found detectable levels of
residue from 50 different pesticides in all of the sampled colonies. There was no association
between increased pesticide levels and CCD.” (Kaplan, 2009) Keeping this last statement in
mind, “honey bees as compared to other insects, are notably lacking in the detoxification
enzymes which provide moderate levels of cross-resistance to pesticides.” (Biswas S, 2006) The
two above statements were from two separate research papers both claiming to be as correct,
written during the same year with the same information available. This actually has been
somewhat of a conspiracy among research articles and the interest of the writer(s), in fact just in
the last year has information surfaced that some of these research study’s lead personal have in
fact been working for the companies that produce the pesticide(s) in question.
People that are un-aware of this disorder and the fact that honey bees are in grave danger
of becoming extinct would argue that “pesticides have been around for a long time, so why are
we seeing this now?” While in no way an expert, I have been committed to research involving
honey bees from looking at timelines, limited simple experimentation, finding out about the
writers of questionable research papers, studying the effects of genetics and genetically altered
crops, as well as reading and re-reading tens of research papers and case studies, and I feel I have
irrefutable proof of the root cause of CCD. And I am not the first person to come up with this
answer, but it can only be proven and it can only be remedied by continual research and action
by environmental scientist as well as getting this information out to the general public.
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It is true that pesticides have been around and used for ages to control everything from
weeds to un-wanted house pests. Most of the widely used pesticides are natural derivatives of
plants, since many plants and trees have their own defense system to keep them from being eaten
by insects, scientists have been able to derive these chemicals and reproduce them for human use
to control pests both in and around the house and garden. However in the early 2000s two new
pesticides were put on the market in the neonicotinoid family and “the EPA granted a
conditional, or temporary, registration to Clothiandin in 2003, the same approval was given to
Thiamethoxam. Clothiandin is one of the most toxic substances known for honey bees”
(Schroeder, 2013). If we look at the time line between the use of this new pesticide and the first
huge drop in honey bee numbers we can see that they coincide, also “in response to growing
concerns about the impact of neonicotinoids on honey bees, the European Commission asked the
European Food Safety Authority to study their safety. The results of the peer reviewed study
were published in January 2013. They concluded that the previous industry-sponsored studies
were flawed and that the pesticide posed an unacceptably high risk to bees. In response to the
study, the European Commission recommended a moratorium across the European Union”
(European Food Safety Authority, 2013) The most dangerous part about this insecticide is the
methods in which it can be applied and the minute amount it takes to kill a bee of any kind, not
to mention the way it kills. The substance is sprayed by tractor rigs on crops or even crop dusted,
due to the nature of the pesticide it works by attacking the target pests’ brain; it also works the
same on non-target species. Once the bee or other species has had contact and the toxin soaks in
to their body, their brain is un-reputedly damaged.
This damage is not only killing the bee that was exposed, but also would account for the
lack of any worker bees left in the hive. Honey bees use a series of movements and chemical
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signals to instruct other bees on the location of the food source, it is also believed that bees are
sensitive to the magnetic poles (Dan Botkin, 2011). If the bee loses its mental capability, the
exact and precise moves made to lead other bees may signal something else, they may lose their
ability to find the hive, or they may first show the location of the treated crop and as the bees
arrive they fly off misguided and die from exposure. Honey bees bodies contain many small
hairs; these hairs can not only pick up pollen and trap water and moisture, but also trap the
pesticide allowing it to be absorbed into the bee’s body. Once the toxin has had its effect on the
bee, the damage is done and there is no antidote or ability to bet better or have the chemical ware
off.
In 2011 and possibly as early as 2009, the use of neonicotinoid pesticides and CCD were
becoming directly linked thanks to independent scientist and researchers that could not be bought
off by grants from companies such as Bayer and Monsanto. Research by such so called bee
experts like Jerry Bromenshenk that once supported the poisoning of bees by the neurotoxic
neonicotinoid suddenly changed to viruses and strains of bacteria working together being the
culprit. This change of heart by Jerry came after Bayer; one of the leading pesticide makers gave
Jerry a large yet undisclosed grant to “look for the real issue” (Eban, 2010). Another fact that
will hopefully raise questions is that the Environmental Protection Agency approved and allowed
these pesticides on the market even after they admit “pesticide poisoning” is the most likely
cause of Colony Collapse Disorder (Mercola, 2012). Obviously there is something being covered
up and more is known about CCD than the general public is being led to believe. There is just
too much information out there proving that all previous research can be accredited to grants
from large chemical companies. Even the Colony Collapse Disorder Steering Committee has
questionable findings in their yearly reports claiming that in no way are genetically modified
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crops causing the disorder, even if these crops have been treated with the same toxin that appears
to cause CCD (CCD Steering Committe, 2009).
The main issue that many beekeepers as well as the people that know about the truth
behind the pesticide and CCD and choose to give factual information in lies with the ethical
questions it raises, and the un-ethical treatment of a species that has basically been responsible
for our livelihoods and also that of every living thing. Questions like have we became numb to
the disappearance of species to the point that we fail to see the significance of all creatures great
and small? What type of bee expert or environmental scientist would take money in order to turn
their back on a possible solution to 8 years of devastation? And most of all, with the EPA’s
knowledge of the effects of neonicotinoid use and the declining bee population, how do they
even justify not banning the pesticide? Every other advanced country has banned this substance
and it has not cured the issue overnight, but it has helped. Without the United States doing the
same and with hives being moved and sold to other areas, can we fix the issue before it is too
late?
We can easily see the starting point for CCD being the lifting of the ban on importing
honey bees due to demand, this allowed for new and exotic diseases to be introduced. These
diseases mutated or created other viruses and bacteria due to different environmental conditions
and different pathogens causing already weekend colonies to die off. The use of the
neonicotinoid pesticides disrupted the bee’s delicate brain chemistry due to the neurotoxic
properties of the pesticide which basically scrambled the honey bee’s communication ability
with the hives causing the disappearance of whole colonies to the scale of 30 to 60% rather than
the normal 15%. Due to the beneficial effects of genetically modifying crops using the same
pesticide as seeds as well as treating the plants throughout growing season, many of the main
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chemical and pesticide makers hired “bee specialists” and researchers to look a different way and
come up with other possibilities not realizing that without the help of the honey bee their crops
would be useless anyway. During the first years of CCD other angles and issues were studied
due to the lack of information on the neonicotinoids, it was due to this that more of an issue has
not been made until recently.
In closing it all boils down to the sustainable use of everything not just power or land and
water because human overpopulation is not slowing down but doubling. That does not include
the taking of other life or the eradication of other species, but as I pointed out, soon the honey
bee will become an exhibit in a museum rather than a garden friend, and the sad part is there is a
vast amount of information that will provide both the cause and the cure.
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Biswas S, S. M. (2006). A Deficit of Detoxification Enzymes. Insect MOl Biol, 615-636.
CCD Steering Committe. (2009). Colony Collapse Disorder Progress Report . Flordia: USDA / DoD.
Dan Botkin, E. K. (2011). Environmental Science. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley & Sons.
Eban, K. (2010, October 8th). What a Scientist Didn't tell the New York Times about his Study on Bee
Deaths. CNN. New York, New York.
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This paper may be freely used in part, or in whole as long as the authors name and references are
included. If used, please e-mail environmentalshreve@Charter.net
Neonicotinoid | 13
Mercola, D. (2012, December 29th). Study Proves Pesticide Exposure Linked to Bee Colony Failures.
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BioScience, pp. pp.384-388.
This paper may be freely used in part, or in whole as long as the authors name and references are
included. If used, please e-mail environmentalshreve@Charter.net