permaculture

[Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>]

unbelievable - invincible ignorance, outright stupidity, unbridled
greed, incompetence and irresponsibility - LL

Bee deaths a result of pesticide Safari; count upped to 50,000 dead
insects | OregonLive.com
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/06/pesticide_confirmed_in_bee_dea.html#/0

As the estimate of dead bees rose to 50,000, the Oregon Department of
Agriculture confirmed the insecticide Safari caused the deaths in a
Wilsonville earlier this week. A landscaping company sprayed 55 linden
trees in a Target parking lot to control for aphids, said Dan Hilburn,
the plants division director at the department of agriculture. They
bees have been dropping from trees since the spraying on Saturday.

Aphids produce honeydew, a sticky liquid that can drip off onto cars
or pedestrians. A Target representative said by email that the
Wilsonville store had received no customer complaints about it.

The Portland-based Xerces Society, which first reported the die off to
the state Agriculture Department said aphids can be controlled without
insecticides, including by spraying infested plants with soapy water.

More
Continuing coverage of the deaths of an estimated 50,000 bumblebees.
On Friday the Agriculture Department, the City of Wilsonville,
neighboring towns and some local landscape contractors covered the
sprayed trees with netting in an attempt to prevent further insect
deaths.

The state is investigating any violation of pesticide laws, which
could take up to four months, said Dale Mitchell of the Agriculture
Department.

Mitchell said the bee deaths, the largest documented die-off of
bumblebees, could prove important in determining the use and
regulations of Safari and other insecticides in the United States.

Safari's main ingredient is dinotefuran, a neonicotinoid. There are
two main kinds of neonicotinoids, both of which are general use
insecticides. Safari is a member of the nitro-group.  Research
published in 2012 shows these are generally more toxic to bees than
the other type. The European Union issued a temporary ban on three
other kinds of nitro-group neonicotinoids, which will go into effect
this December.

Elliot Associates, the land management company that rents the affected
Argyle Square lot, released the following statement Thursday: "If a
cause is discovered which may be attributable to our actions or those
of our contractors, a proactive course of action will be taken after
consulting with the DOA and other experts in this field."

Meanwhile, other reports of bees dying around Wilsonville and
surrounding towns have prompted Xerces to check whether similar
pesticides were used elsewhere.

"My worry is that we're going to lose sight of the real message," said
Mace Vaughan of Xerces. "I think we're (using insecticides) all over
the place, and people are doing it in their backyards without even
knowing it."

The agriculture department and other related groups will meet Monday
to discuss any further action.