Studies performed by companies which produce these neonicotinoids have tested only in lethal doses and observed the bees immediately after exposure. Subsequent generations of the plant will also contain trace amounts of the pesticide and secrete them as well. Just what is so insidious about neonicotinoids? Neonicotinoids differ from older style pesticides which were applied through spraying instead, they generally come in the form of pellets, which are taken up by the roots of the plant when watered, and end up concentrated in the pollen and nectar that bees pick up when foraging. Put another way, one of every three bites of food Americans consume comes from a plant visited by bees or other pollinators. According to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), more than $15 billion worth of crops are pollinated by bees each year just in the United States alone. However, the implications of the disappearance of honeybees are not just gastronomic they are also economic in scope, and in that respect, the scale is significant. And they’re not just the fruits of summer imagine a Thanksgiving, for example, without sweet potatoes or pumpkin pie. Reese Halter, Ph.D., author of The Incomparable Honeybee and distinguished conservation biologist. Honeybees, among other pollinators such as bats, birds, butterflies, and bumblebees, are responsible in one way or another for the pollination of approximately 100 crops, according to Dr. But what if the arrival of these crops each summer were to come to an end? With summer upon us, it’s exciting to see the reemergence of some of our favorite produce, including stone fruit, peppers, sweet, juicy melons, and succulent strawberries. Why should anyone care? Well, they matter a lot more than most people would think.
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