ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
Give Bees a Chance: Go Organic!
Bees pollinate a significant majority of the world's food, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate.
The mysterious mass death of honeybee populations is called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Neonicotinoid pesticides weaken the bee's immune system and cause disorientation, damaging the bee's ability to find its way back to the hive. Other toxic pesticides, such as glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, also contribute to CCD.
You can help protect bees by choosing organic food, grown without these toxic insecticides, and planting bee friendly gardens.
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.
