Insecticide Poisoning: The Silent Killer of Bees

Honey decline is associated with the increased use of pesticides, especially neonicotinoids, which are widely used in Kenya. According to Berndt Welz, in his report Bayer and the Bees, these neonicotinoids, similar to those once used in Kenya, are responsible for the massive deaths of bees in Germany.

Apiculture, which is bee farming, is one of the cheapest and most accessible forms of agriculture with the lowest cost, as you need beehives alone. Honey is one of the natural sources of sugar for the human body, and with the changing feeding system, most people are turning to natural foods with low sugars and fats.

This has led to increased demand for these foods with increased prices. The high market demand has attracted many farmers to venture into this farming to satisfy the significant market demand.

Desertification has continued to increase due to climate change, with more and more arable land becoming deserts. This has attracted many non-government organizations to introduce apiculture in these ASAL areas as a way of economic empowerment for the communities in these regions, especially women, as men are involved in pastoralism.

For some time, this has worked, increasing honey production and its value addition. Still, with the introduction of irrigation systems and modern agriculture, which uses pesticides heavily, honey production has declined. In this article, we will analyze why this is the case.

How it started

The problem starts with the maize/corn farmers. The insecticides the seeds are often treated with result in a toxic dust cloud during planting, which causes massive bee deaths in Germany, killing more than 12000 bee colonies in the region. In contrast, more than 500 million bees suffer unbearable pain and death.

Read Also: Organic Farming in Kenya: Why its a Non-Profitable Business

But how did this happen? Some red pesticides coating the corn/maize seeds rubbed off during planting and were released into the environment. “… insecticide residue rubbed off the seeds that were released into the air during planting, and the bees that passed through the dust crowd died immediately, but the worst bit was that the dust settled on flowering plants, and thus the bees gathered contaminated pollen grains,” explained Christopher Koch, a Breisgau Bee Keeper.

Nionix is often applied as seed dressing instead of spraying as traditional pesticides. The seed coated with insecticides is then driven into the ground using a seed planter. These toxins affect the plant from the roots to the entire plant as it grows, making it immune to pests in the ground and the field.

Even though the mechanical planters were blamed, the study shows that neonicotinoids impact the entire ecosystem. According to Hennic Tennekes, a Dutch toxicologist, neonicotinoids are water-soluble and relatively marble in the ground, so when it rains, they are easily washed into the groundwater and runoff water, which means they affect the whole environment and are also absorbed by flower plants via their roots.

The entire landscape becomes toxic for insects, and it’s fair to assume that this will lead to massive death of insects. If the insects disappear, the ecosystem collapses. That’s why this is ecological harm again, as we are destroying the whole of nature. He believes nonixs are the leading cause of insect deaths worldwide and via the food chain, and they are also responsible for the decline in the population of birds, reptiles, and amphibians. They are harmful to human beings, too.

Proof

In 2018, the European Union burned the use of at least three of the five neonicotinoids nineteen years after France burned one product containing neonicotinoids due to the massive death of bees. Jean-Marc Bonmatin, a toxicologist, investigated the cause of enormous bee deaths on behalf of the beekeepers in the mid-’90s as suspicion had grown on one of the neonicotinoids called imidacloprid.

They proved that everything relevant to the bees, whether the corn, sunflower, nectar, water or everything, was contaminated. The level of toxin in the open countryside was so high that it either killed the bees or caused significant long-term problems, leading to France burning neonicotinoids on sunflowers and later on all crops in 2018.

According to Spanish toxicologist Francisco Sanchez Bayo, in most countries where these neonicotinoids are used, 40% of insect species are declining, and one-third of those are declining rapidly and are threatened with extinction.

When asked for comment by Wilz, Beyer said, “Bayer remains convinced that […] use of neonicotinoids is safe for humans and the environment provided they are used responsibly and by the instruction of use. “According to Dutch toxicologist…….he came across a study by one of the Beyer scientists in 1991 whose findings were outstanding.

The Beyer scientist describes the effects of the first neonicotinoids on another system of a fly as irreversible. Imidacloprid is the first highly effective insecticide that works on the principle of almost completely blocking […] receptors in a virtually irreversible way” Beyer study 1991.

Solution

I know you are now wondering what I should do with my hatcheries. It’s fair to say that the decline in honey production is caused by the use of these neonicotinoids, as there is a direct correlation between the use of neonicotinoids and the massive deaths of bees.

Indeed, we cannot depend on the government and other regulatory bodies to control the use of these chemicals, as they have already failed. The only option for the bee farmer is to avoid using seeds dressed with these neonicotinoids.

Use biological methods in orchards, corn/maize, canola or even sunflower farms to control pests. Since we cannot control what our neighbour plant, if you can get a location far away from these farms, especially in ASALS areas for you who intend to venture into bees farming, first carry out the analysis of the area you want to mount your hives and the crops, are grown and their management as well.

The NGO and county governments promoting this farming should take a keen look before investing much money, which may not come to fruition. Since agriculture is a devolved function, the county may opt to regulate the use of these neonicotinoids. It may also put more emphasis on organic farming. 

Reference

Welz Berndt. Bayer and the Bees: Big Pharma under Pressure. 2019 https://youtu.be/UaNSByf4sLA

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