honeybees Archives - Environment+Energy Leader

Lowes to Phase Out Neonic Pesticides

April 15, 2015April 20, 2022 by Karen Henry

Lowe’s announced in its 2014 Social Responsibility Report that it is phasing out the sale of products that contain neonicotinoid (neonic) pesticides within 48 months as suitable alternatives become commercially available. Some studies have indicated that neonics are damaging the health of honeybees and other pollinators. According to a study ... Read more »

Initiatives Launched to Save Bee Population

October 17, 2014April 20, 2022 by Ken Jennison

Cascadian Farm and the Almond Board of California have both launched initiatives to help reverse declining bee populations. Cascadian Farm, in partnership with The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and the University of Minnesota Bee Lab, announced its “Bee Friendlier” program to increase awareness of bee loss issues and encourage ... Read more »

Airbus Using Bees to Monitor Environmental Footprint

August 1, 2014August 1, 2014 by Ken Jennison

Airbus is using bees to help analyze the environmental footprint of its operations at Finkenwerder Airport in Hamburg, Germany, by keeping them on-site and analyzing their honey, according to the company. The bees collect pollen and nectar from plants across an approximately 12-square-kilometer area around the airport. The honey that ... Read more »

Home Depot to Require Neonicotinoids Labeling

July 1, 2014June 30, 2014 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

Home Depot and other retailers have said they plan to ban or limit the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, which have been linked to honeybee decline. Home Depot says it will require its suppliers to start labeling any plants treated with neonicotinoids by the fourth quarter of this year, Reuters reports. ... Read more »

‘Clear Evidence’ Neonicotinoids a Key Factor in Bee Decline

June 25, 2014June 24, 2014 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

Neonicotinoid pesticides are a key factor in honeybee decline, according to a study to be published in the Journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research. Undertaking a full analysis of all the available literature (800 peer reviewed reports) the Task Force on Systemic Pesticides — a group of global, independent scientists ... Read more »

Syngenta’s ‘Operational Pollinator’ Gives Bees a Boost

June 16, 2014June 16, 2014 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

Syngenta’s Operation Pollinator helps restore bees and other pollinators in landscapes like golf course while establishing low- to no-maintenance natural areas for superintendents, the argichemical company says. The initiative stems from Syngenta’s honeybee research as scientists investigate pesticides as a potential cause of honeybee decline. Syngenta produces neonicotinoids, a class ... Read more »

Honey Bee Death Rates Lower Than Expected

April 9, 2014April 9, 2014 by Bill Opalka

A European Union survey found death rates of honeybees lower than feared, countering concerns about the collapse the crop-pollinating insect colonies caused by pests and disease. The study of 32,000 bee colonies across 17 EU member states from late 2012 until summer 2013 found winter mortality rates ranged from 3.5 ... Read more »

EPA Funds Aim to Reduce Pesticides, Improve Bee Health

January 9, 2014 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

The EPA has awarded almost half a million in funding to three universities — Louisiana State University, University of Vermont and Pennsylvania State University — for projects to reduce pesticide use and lower risks to honeybees. The agricultural grants for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices also aim to control pests ... Read more »

Does Bayer Care About Bees?

December 16, 2013July 18, 2017 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

While beekeepers and environmental groups blame Bayer and other pesticide producers for harming honeybees, Bayer has funded research that blames varroa mites for the bee die-off and plans to open more Bee Care Centers to further study the mites, The New York Times reports. The company, a major producer of ... Read more »

EPA Launches Bee-Protecting Pesticide Label

August 16, 2013 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

The EPA has developed new pesticide labels that prohibit use of some neonicotinoid pesticide products where bees are present. The agency says the labels are part of its ongoing effort to protect bees and prevent colony decline. The labels will have a bee advisory box and icon with information on ... Read more »

Whole Foods, Monsanto Support Honeybee Health

June 17, 2013April 20, 2022 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

A Whole Food Market store in Rhode Island pulled 52 percent of the produce department’s products off of shelves to show what the food supply would look like without bees. To illustrate how major declines in honeybee populations threaten the availability of many fresh ingredients, the University Heights Whole Foods ... Read more »

Monsanto, Bayer, Sygenta Fund Bee Research

May 21, 2013July 1, 2013 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

Monsanto, Bayer and Sygenta are among the agrichemical companies funding honeybee research in the US as scientists investigate pesticides as a potential cause of honeybee decline, Reuters reports. Bayer and Syngenta, which produce neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides linked to bee decline, are helping fund research at Iowa State University ... Read more »

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