SAVE BEES—FIGHT NEW THREATS

Despite massive bee die-offs, toxic bee-killing pesticides continue to be approved—putting bees and our food system in dire jeopardy.

To help us fight in court to save bees and the natural world, Board members of Earth Justice have offered to match your support $1-for-$1—up to $784,000—now through July 15.

Donate now and your gift will go twice as far.

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Despite alarming declines in bee populations, toxic bee-killing pesticides continue to be approved—as recently as June 13—putting bees, our natural heritage, and our food system in dire jeopardy.

Earthjustice is ramping up our work to save bees and stop these dangerous pesticides, but we need your help now more than ever to see these and other fights through.

To help with critical battles like this, 17 members of our Board of Trustees have offered to match your support $1-for-$1—up to $784,000— through July 15.

Give now and your support will go twice as far.

Nearly one-third of our crops—including many vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds—depend on bees for pollination. But despite the vital role bees play, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and Environmental Protection Agency continue to approve pesticides that are linked to a bee die-off of historic proportions.

Just recently—on June 13—the Department of Pesticide Regulation approved the expanded use of two pesticides (Valent U.S.A. Corporation’s “Venom Insecticide” and Mitsui Chemical Agro’s “Dinotefuran 20SG”) that are contributing to bee colony collapse disorder...without analyzing environmental impacts or available alternatives.

And the EPA recently approved the use of another pesticide, sulfoxaflor, that is highly toxic to bees...and is now considering expanding the number of crops it can be sprayed on to include corn, alfalfa, and oats, to name just a few.

We’re fighting back, but we need your help!

Make an emergency gift today and your donation will be matched $1-for-$1.

Last year, one-third of our honeybee colonies died or disappeared. The massive die-off of these vital pollinators threatens to unravel agricultural production across the country.

We can’t afford to let short-term, private profits destroy our natural world. Help us ensure that new highly-toxic pesticides do not become the final straw for bees.

Your contribution matched $1-for-$1 today, will be put to use immediately to:

•	Save bees—already struggling to survive—from Dow AgroScience’s new pesticide sulfoxaflor, which has been shown to be highly toxic to bees
•	Fight the expanded use of toxic bee-killing pesticides like sufloxaflor
•	Stop the approval of new bee-killing pesticides without analyzing environmental impacts or available alternatives
•	Prevent the next generation of GMO crops from gaining approval—and leading to much greater use of even more dangerous pesticides
•	And take on other critical fights to protect the natural world

Help us save bees and fight for our natural world and your gift will be matched $1-for-$1 thanks to the generosity of our Board of Trustees.

Thank you for all that you do!!

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Deadly Honeybee Diseases Likely Spreading to Bumblebees

Wild bumblebees worldwide are in trouble, likely contracting deadly diseases from their commercialized honeybee cousins, a new study shows.

That's a problem even though bumblebees aren't trucked from farm to farm like honeybees. They provide a significant chunk of the world's pollination of flowers and food, especially greenhouse tomatoes, insect experts said. And the ailments are hurting bumblebees even more, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

"Wild populations of bumblebees appear to be in significant decline across Europe, North America, South America and also in Asia," said study author Mark Brown of the University of London.

He said his study confirmed that a major source of the decline was "the spillover of parasites and pathogens and disease" from managed honeybee hives.

Smaller studies have shown disease going back and forth between the two kinds of bees. Brown said his is the first to look at the problem in a larger country-wide scale and include three diseases and parasites.

The study tracked nearly 750 bees in 26 sites throughout Great Britain. And it also did lab work on captive bees to show disease spread.

What the study shows is that "the spillover for bees is turning into (a) boilover," University of Illinois entomology professor May Berenbaum, who wasn't part of the study, said in an email.

Study co-author Matthias Furst of the University of London said the team's research does not definitely prove the diseases go from honeybees to bumblebees. But the evidence points heavily in that direction because virus levels and infection rates are higher in the honeybees, he said.

— The Associated Press

Source:   NBC News