Saving the bees

Below is an appeal by Avaaz to ban neonicotinoid pesticides that kill bees worldwide. Please signe the petition.

Philippe-Henri
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Bees are dying off worldwide and our entire food chain is in peril. Scientists blame toxic pesticides, and after a mega Avaaz campaign, the EU banned them. In five days the US could join the ban, and inspire other governments across the world to follow. This is our best chance to save bees from extinction. Sign the petition and forward this urgent appeal:

Silently, billions of bees are dying off and our entire food chain is in danger. Bees don't just make honey -- they are a giant, humble workforce, pollinating 75% of growing plants. But in five days the US could move to ban the toxic pesticides that are killing them off.

We know we can get a ban -- after a mega Avaaz campaign last year, the EU banned this group of poisons that multiple scientists blame for bees' rapid demise. Right now chemical companies are furiously lobbying US authorities to stop action. But insider allies say a massive public mandate could tip the scales towards a ban. Let's give it to them! If the US moves, it will set in motion a ripple effect on the rest of the world.

We have no time to lose -- members of the White House's bee task force will report with proposals on Tuesday. This is not just about saving bees, this is about our survival. Sign the emergency petition now -- let’s build a giant global buzz calling for the US to outlaw these killer chemicals, before the honey bees are extinct:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees_us_pet_loc/?bzhZFab&v=47059

Bees are vital to life on earth -- every year pollinating plants and crops with an estimated $40bn value. Without immediate action to ensure bees' continued pollination, many of our favourite fruits, vegetables, and nuts could vanish from our shelves and ⅓ of our food supply will be gone.

Recent years have seen a steep global decline in bee populations -- some bee species are already extinct and just in California -- the biggest food producer in the US -- beekeepers are losing a third of their bees each year. Scientists have been scrambling for answers. While some studies, often funded by the chemical companies, argue this may be due to a combination of factors including disease, habitat loss and toxic chemicals, powerful independent studies conclude neonicotinoid pesticides are to blame.

It is this startling evidence and super effective campaigning by Avaaz and partners that won the EU ban. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required by Congress to regulate toxins, but under the influence of big chemical companies, for years they’ve fudged the law. Now the White House’s ‘Pollinators Health Task Force’ could get the EPA to cancel the pesticides' registration so they can't be sold in the US. This is our chance!

The task force reports in five days. Already 2.5 million of us around the world have backed this campaign. Let’s urgently build an unprecedented 3 million strong petition to save the bees and deliver it with strategic advocacy and media to stop a backroom deal that only benefits big business. Sign the urgent petition:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees_us_pet_loc/?bzhZFab&v=47059

We can no longer leave our delicate food chain in the hands of chemical companies and the regulators that are in their pockets. Banning these pesticides will move us closer to a world safe for ourselves and the other species we care about and depend on.

Hi Philippe-Henri,

Are there any names for chemical companies and organizations that lobby?

gerardM a écrit:Hi Philippe-Henri,

Are there any names for chemical companies and organizations that lobby?

Yes. the main neonicotinoid producers are Bayer (Germany), Syngenta (Switzerland) and Monsanto (USA). As these pesticides allow them to make huge profits, they have actively been lobbying against EU temporary 2-year ban, and against a USA bill to do the same. Congress is due to decide upon tomorrow 30 September.

Crunch numbers

Last week, Australian scientists announced that honeybees (Apis mellifera) can learn to add and subtract. Fourteen bees were put through 100 training exercises in a maze – and got the correct answer between 64% and 72% of the time. “It is not that every bee could do this [spontaneously], but we could teach them to do it,” said Dr Adrian Dyer, co-author of the research.

Solve tasks

In 2017, researchers from Queen Mary University of London demonstrated that bees can learn to gain a reward and then show others to do the same. The bees were taught by a decoy bee to move a small ball to a particular location – and some of them even managed to solve the task more efficiently by shortening the distance.

Give directions

Karl von Frisch was awarded the 1973 Nobel prize for decoding the “waggle dance” performed by bees to inform hive-mates about the location of pollen sources. On returning to the hive, a bee vibrates its wings in such a way as to relay information about the location of food in relation to the position of the sun.

Understand zero

Honeybees were the first insect species to be observed to have a concept of zero, a numerical notion that human children find difficult to learn. Researchers from RMIT University in Melbourne last year showed that bees conceive zero as a number but they were unclear why had this mathematical skill.

Share decisions

Bees have also developed a sense of democracy. When looking for a location for a new home for, say, 10,000 bees, 300 older bees form a “senate” and fly off looking for options. They use the waggle dance described above to communicate the potential locations, the number of dance repetitions indicating the quality of the site.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/feb/10/five-smart-things-honeybees-can-do

Though honey bees have very small brains, they are highly intelligent and it is more than instinct.