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Timeline of a Bee Massacre: EPA Still Allowing Hive-Killing Pesticide
BY Ariel SchwartzTue Dec 14, 2010
http://www.fastcompany.com/1709815/why-has-the-epa-allowed-a-bee-killing-pesticide-to-stay-on-the-market

Beekeepers across the U.S. are reporting record low honey crops as
their bees fail to make it through the winter. One-third of American
agriculture, which relies on bee pollination, is at stake. And the
problem may be at least partially attributable to clothianidin, a
Bayer-branded pesticide used on corn and other crops.

But as we revealed last week, the EPA knew that clothianidin could be
toxic when the product came on the market in 2003. So why is it still
on the market?

The bee-toxic pesticide problem can be traced back to 1994, when the
first neonicotinoid pesticide (Imidacloprid) was released.
Neonicotinoids like imidacloprid and clothianidin disrupt the central
nervous system of pest insects, and are supposed to be relatively
non-toxic to other animals. But there's a problem: The neonicotinoids
coat plant seeds, releasing insecticides permanently into the plant.
The toxins are then released in pollen and nectar--where they may
cause bees to become disoriented and die.

After imidacloprid was released in France (under the name Gaucho) the
number of bees in the country dropped rapidly, from 75 kg per hive
down to 30 kg per hive between 1995 and 2001. France conducted an
official study on the pesticide in 1998, but found no solid evidence
that imidacloprid played a part in bee deaths. Nevertheless,
Imidacloprid was banned for use on sunflowers and, later, sweet corn.

Enter clothianidin, a next-generation neonicotinoid released by Bayer
in 2003. "In terms of the neonicotonoid family, clothianidin is one of
the most toxic members," explains Dr. James Frazier, a professor of
entomology at Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

The EPA first brought up the link between clothianidin and bees before
the pesticide's release in February 2003. The agency originally
planned to withhold registration of the pesticide because of concerns
about toxicity in bees, going so far as to suggest that the product
come with a warning label (PDF): "This compound is toxic to honey
bees. The persistance of residues and the expression clothianidin in
nectar and pollen suggest the possibility of chronic toxic risk to
honey bee larvae and the eventual stability of the hive."

But in April 2003, the EPA decided to give Bayer conditional
registration. Bayer could sell the product and seed processors could
freely use it, with the proviso that Bayer complete a life cycle study
of clothianidin on corn by December 2004. Bayer was granted an
extension until May 2005 (and permission to use canola instead of corn
in its tests), but didn't complete the study until August 2007. The
EPA continued to allow the sale of clothianidin, and once the Bayer
study finally came out, it was flawed.

In a statement to the Pesticide Action Network, beekeeper Jeff
Anderson explains:

    "The Bayer study is fatally flawed. It was an open field study
with control and test plots of about 2 acres each. Bees typically
forage at least 2 miles out from the hive, so it is likely they didn’t
ingest much of the treated crops. And corn, not canola, is the major
pollen-producing crop that bees rely on for winter nutrition.

    "This is a critical point because we see hive losses mainly after
over-wintering, so there is something going on in these winter cycles.
It’s as if they designed the study to avoid seeing clothianidin’s
effects on hive health." [Emphasis ours]

The U.S. bee population didn't start dying off until 2005, says David
Hackenberg, the beekeeper who first discovered Colony Collapse
Disorder (CCD). "We started seeing problems where bees were
disappearing in the fall. We blamed it on mites, viruses and a lot of
other stuff because we didn't know what to blame it on."

But soon Hackenberg made the connection: bee die-off seemed to follow
corn crop plantings so much that "you can follow the trail of this
stuff to where bees are collapsing," says Hackenberg.

Frazier first started paying attention to the problem in 2007. "Ever
since we started this work, the sheer magnitude of the use of
neonicotonoids in the environment has always made them suspect for
us," he explains.

Frazier and Hackenberg weren't alone in their concern. Germany
suspended the use of neonicotinoids in 2008 after the misapplication
of clothiandin by beekeepers in the Baden-Württemberg area caused the
pesticide to get into the air. Two-third of the beekeepers' bees in
the region died as a result (tests on dead bees showed that 99% had
clothiandin build-up).

Italy also suspended the use of neonicotinoids in 2008. The country
has evidence that the ban is saving bees. In 2009, Italy saw zero
cases of bee mortality in apiaries surrounding neonicotinoid-free corn
crops. Bee mortality had been an issue around corn crops in the
country since 1999.

The EPA's response to these suspensions: "Several European countries
have suspended the use of certain pesticides in response to incidents
involving acute poisoning of honey bees. To EPA's knowledge, none of
the incidents that led to suspensions have been associated with Colony
Collapse Disorder."

And then came last week's news that the EPA recently conducted another
study on clothiandin (PDF) in response to Bayer's request to use the
pesticide on cotton and mustard (the chemical can currently be used on
corn, canola, soy, sugar beets, sunflowers, and wheat).

The new study, unearthed by Colorado beekeeper Tom Theobald,
invalidates Bayer's previous study, claiming that "after another
review of this field study in light of additional information,
deficiencies were identified that render the study supplemental. It
does not satisfy the guideline 850.3040, and another field study is
needed to evaluate the effects of clothianidin on bees through
contaminated pollen and nectar." The study also warns that clothiandin
is highly toxic to bees on both a contact and oral basis.

And yet, the EPA is continuing to allow the sale of clothiandin, even
though the study that the agency based its decision on proved to be
invalid. "It's a matter of perspective," says Frazier. "If the core
study to judge registration is no longer considered a valid core
study, do you allow continued use of something without good scientific
data behind it? That's the choice that's been left to be made by the
EPA."

Hackenberg doesn't think that the EPA will take action unless it's
sued by a major environmental organization (note: in 2008, the NRDC
sued the EPA to release Bayer's studies on neonicotinoid safety).
Indeed, Hackenberg tells Fast Company that an EPA official recently
told him that clothiandin is still on the market in part because of
fears that Bayer would sue the agency if it is removed.

"I was at the EPA yesterday," Hackenberg says. "They keep telling us
that bee scientists have to prove to the EPA that there's a problem.
The problem is that the EPA is supposed to protect the environment,
it's their responsibility to make sure that the chemical companies are
doing their job."

No one can say for sure that neonicotinoids alone are causing bees to
die off--many more studies have to be done. But the EPA would do well
to err on the side of caution for the beekeepers who are rapidly
losing their bees. Tom Theobald, for example, saw his smallest honey
crop in 35 years of beekeeping, and Hackenberg claims that he has
talked to beekeepers across the country who have lost up to 90% of
their output this year.

Is it really worth waiting to find out what happens if the EPA doesn't
take neonicotinoids off the market? There isn't time to waste.
Clothiandin has a half-life of 19 years in heavy soils favored by
farmers.

The EPA has not responded to our requests for comment.

Earlier: Wik-Bee Leaks: EPA Document Shows It Knowingly Allowed
Pesticide That Kills Honey Bees

Beekeeper Who Leaked EPA Documents: "I Don't Think We Can Survive This Winter"