Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1639, 8 August 2013 Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2013 07:46:14 -0600 (MDT) From: mead-request@talisman.com Mead Lover's Digest #1639 8 August 2013 Mead Discussion Forum Contents: Bees (Segedy) NOTE: Digest appears whenever there is enough material to send one. Send ONLY articles for the digest to mead@talisman.com. Use mead-request@talisman.com for [un]subscribe and admin requests. Digest archives and FAQ are available at www.talisman.com/mead#Archives A searchable archive is at http://www.gotmead.com/mldarchives.html Digest Janitor: Dick Dunn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Bees From: Segedy Date: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 02:32:40 -0400 I am not usually one to forward things, but in this case I thought it was an important message for the group: Bees are dying by the millions all across America. According to leading scientists, they're being poisoned by a group of pesticides called neonicotinoids (also known as ?neonics?). If we don't stop using these chemicals soon, the bee population could be done for ? and so could all the fruits and vegetables that rely on bees for pollination. But there's hope. A bill was just introduced in Congress that would impose a ban on neonics until a scientific review and field studies prove no harm will come to bee populations from their use. Passing this bill won't be easy. Big Agriculture and chemical companies like Bayer are already lobbying hard to defeat it. Massive public support is the only chance the bees have. Over 100,000 Greenpeace supporters helped raise the profile of this issue last month. Together we now have a chance to save the bees before it is too late. Write your congressperson today and urge them to support the Save America's Pollinators Act and save the bees! The stories are shocking. Some 50,000 bees dropped dead a few weeks ago in Oregon after being exposed to the deadly pesticides. And last winter alone, 31% of beehives in the United States collapsed. Sobering stuff. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) have been dragging their feet on this issue for too long. EPA is currently conducting a study on neonics that they don't expect to finish until sometime in 2018! At this rate, there may not be any bees left by that time. By allowing toxic chemicals like neonics to weaken and kill bees, we threaten our food and our environment. Every day these chemicals are allowed to be used is one day closer to disaster. Now's the time to act. Tell your congressperson to support the Save America's Pollinators Act today. The world is stepping up to take action and it's time for the US to do the same. Policymakers in Europe pulled three commonly used neonics off the market earlier this year, citing the growing body science showing their harms to pollinators. Just a few weeks ago, the EU added another bee-harming pesticide to their restricted list. However, the Industrial Agriculture lobby has no intention of backing down and Congress is going to need all the support it can get. Write your Representative now and tell them to support this critical bill and save the bees. Without immediate action to save bees, many of our favorite fruits, vegetables, and nuts could vanish from our shelves. Avocados, almonds, apples...the list goes on. A world without bees. A win for the bees here in the US is possible, but only if we keep the pressure up on Congress to do the right thing. Thanks, Mark Floegel Greenpeace Senior Investigator and Beekeeper P.S. America's bees are being poisoned. There's a bill in Congress that would help save them. Write your representative today and tell them to support the Save America's Pollinators Act today! Then forward this message to your friend and family. ------------------------------ End of Mead Lover's Digest #1639 *******************************