I am a gardener, and I do like my bees. Having read this article, I am even more thankful that two bumblebees have decided to take up residence in my wooden garden fence posts. They're amazing little creatures, with a bizarre crunching sound as they chew a hole for themselves in the wood.
Bees, as everyone knows, are very important for the pollination, and resultant produce bearing of many plants. Without them, it is a very bleak outlook for our food supply. Sadly, their populations are being threatened by colony collapse disorder, and there is mounting evidence that this caused by pesticide use; especially neonicotinoid pesticides (although the manufacturers of these pesticides routinely deny this allegation). Some beekeepers and other supporters have taken legal action against the EPA for "approv[ing] registrations of the pesticides without providing the opportunity for public comment, thereby violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and the Administrative Procedure Act." This is a great instance of people joining together. If the Environmental Protection Agency is neglecting its responsibilities to protect, it is left up to us; we are our own best advocates, and we must join together to stand up for ourselves. We need to protect the bees, and by extension protect us.
Yes, filing a lawsuit is a big step, but everyone can help with small steps at home like planting gardens and avoiding any use of pesticides. Also, support your local beekeeper and buy local honey. Imported honey (especially from India and China) has been shown to contain harmful substances like illegal antibiotics and heavy metals- and our U.S. grocery shelves are drowning in it. There are also other recorded instances of honey containing little or no bee pollen, and/or being diluted heavily with corn syrup. Just another example of why it is so tremendously important that we know where our food comes from. Think about this the next time you put honey in your tea.
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