We have to give a hearty thank you to Tom Theobald, a Colorado beekeeper, who recently uncovered and exposed an EPA memo that could point to why bees are dying in such high numbers.
According to them memo, BayerCropScience is selling a seed treatment called clothianidin and it hasn’t done sufficient testing on the chemical to prove its safety for honeybees. It’s a systemic pesticide, meaning it’s absorbed into the plant, making all parts poisonous to insects that feed on it. It also makes me wonder what it does to us? It is mostly used on…you guessed it…corn. Actually 80% of corn seed is treated with it. When the corn tassels it produces a lot of pollen – pollen being a primary source of protein for bees. Beekeepers are seeing the biggest problems in their hives coinciding with the corn tasseling.
You can read more about this problem here.