ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
Give Bees a Chance: Go Organic!
What began with the collapse of bee colonies has become a full-on insect apocalypse that scientists say is “tearing apart the tapestry of life”, devastating bird populations, impacting human health and threatening the future of foods that rely on pollinators.
The U.S. agricultural landscape is now 48 times more toxic to bees than it was 25 years ago and crop yields for apples, cherries and blueberries are already being reduced by a lack of pollinators.
Why? Because of Bayer’s business model: genetically modified seeds soaked in bee-killing neonic insecticides.
In the 1980s, Bayer invented synthetic neonicotinoid compounds that could be applied to the seed of a plant and remain effective for the plant’s entire lifespan.
By 2004, Bayer had agreements with the top genetically modified seed companies to coat their seeds with massive amounts of neonics.
By 2007, 80 percent of the corn seed sold by market-leader Pioneer (Monsanto’s rival-cum-partner) was treated with Bayer’s clothianidin-based Poncho.
By 2008, Colony Collapse Disorder was a worldwide problem.
In the E.U., neonics were banned in 2013, but a legal loophole lets Bayer to skirt the neonicotinoid ban.
Take Action!
Now that the federal government has reopened, it’s time to talk to your U.S. Representatives and Senators about what you’d like them to accomplish this year.
We hope you’ll put the Save America’s Pollinators Act at the top of your list.
If you’ve been following OCA’s Save the Bees campaign, you’ve seen the recent headlines.
The increasing use of pesticides is a ticking time bomb for all insects, including pollinators. Declining insect populations could soon have dire consequences, not just for insects but for all the animals and plants that rely on them—from insect-eating birds, shrews, lizards and frogs, to the 120 pollinated U.S. crops worth more than $15 billion annually.
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“If we lose the insects then everything is going to collapse.” - Dr. David Goulson, Sussex University, UK
Victory for bees in Europe! As reported in the Guardian, the world’s most widely used insecticides will be banned from all fields in the E.U. within six months to protect both wild and commercially raised honeybees that are vital to crop pollination.
The neonicotinoid insecticides now banned in the E.U are sold by Bayer and Syngenta and used by Monsanto to coat its genetically engineered seeds. They are the cause of the massive bee die-offs that commercial beekeepers in the U.S. reported this year—and every year since 2006.
Take Action to Ban Neonics in the U.S.!
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As Leonard Cohen famously sang, everybody knows.
Everybody, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), knows that neonicotinoid pesticides harm bees.
But here’s a part of the story you may have missed: Monsanto, Bayer and Syngenta coat their GMO corn seeds with neonics, then charge farmers extra for them—even though studies show that neonic-coated seeds provide no real benefit to farmers.
Why do farmers pay extra for seeds that have no extra benefit? Because the biotech companies that have a monopoly on GMO seeds offer only neonic-coated seeds.
That’s not good for farmers. Or bees.
It’s also not good for humans, when neonics end up in our water and food.
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RECOMMENDED BOOKS
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Best practices for keeping honeybees healthy and productive with strategies for controlling mites, selective breeding for resistant bees, and more—now in full color with updated information. -
Complete information on hive management and other aspects of using these innovative hives. All home and hobbyist beekeepers who have the time and interest in keeping bees should consider the natural, low-stress methods outlined in this book. -
In addition to being a guide to the care and protection of the honeybee, this popular text demonstrates how the ills plaguing our honeybees proceed from the ills in our manner of living and doing business. -
This comprehensive guide describes how to recognize beneficial insects that prey upon crop pests, reducing or eliminating the need for pesticides, and how to evaluate, design, and improve habitat for them. -
Attracting Native Pollinators reflects the latest understanding about creating and managing pollinator habitat in four detailed sections: pollinators and pollination, taking action, bees of North America and creating a pollinator-friendly landscape. -
This beginner's guide clearly explains everything you need to know to keep bees successfully, from getting your first bees to harvesting your first crop of honey. Spectacular photography brings the inner workings of the hive to life.