We like Florida just fine thank you very much.
Do us a favor and stay “afar” so we all (especially you) can be happy. Mkay?
This decision by the EPA is misguided. If in fact this pesticide does affect bee reproductive capability it (EPA) should recind their decision.
The bee population issue is a serious one. Anyone that has had basic botany instruction, (well then again do schools even do that), knows bees are critical for the pollination of plants life.
This seriously needs revisiting.
One day their children will look at us and say “why?”
Hopefully those who would benefit, realize how short term that would be?
Email the White House and your representatives.
The annual loss has been in the 40% range for quite a while.
The government studying bee populations is a redundancy of organizations like the Bee Informed Partnership. It doesn’t belong in the government purview.
The EPA has never been swayed by “a study…” …
Hundreds and thousands of individual studies provide “this conclusion” and “that conclusion” (often contradicting each other) on all sorts of issues that “this group” or “that group” want the EPA to respond to. This is not something new. The EPA seems immune to them all, and that probably will never change.
Having said all that, I am profoundly concerned about the future of honeybees. I’m just addressing the way certain things are being spun here.
Are you being serious?
Of course they do - I mean, at some point in the near future they will have killed ALL the bees. Then they win.
It’s about undoing anything Obama.
No matter what.
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Your post indicates why government study might in fact be warranted. So many studies out there, so many competing interests sponsoring them…sometimes we need truly unbiased research.
What is the Bee Informed Partnership?
Article said what it was.
And it’s likely not the only entity tracking bee populations.
Study of the impact of an insecticide? Probably.
Tracking of bee populations. Already being done.
And the sudden concern about the EPA ignoring a particular study is TDS.
We can do this all day.
What’s “sudden” about it?
This administration is hell-bent on destroying everything in it’s path. Hey cons, where is your “drain the swamp?”
2020 can’t come fast enough
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Umm, psst, the chemical in question was approved for use under the Obama administration. Lol
from https://www.ecowatch.com/neonicotinoid-replacement-sulfoxaflor-bees-2596515132.html
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved sulfoxaflor during the Obama administration with new restrictions to protect bees after a court decision had vacated an earlier, more lenient approval.
While you are correct, the Obama Administration required safeguards against harming bees as a condition of its approval.
Does the new one do that?
Doesn’t appear so…appears to be a “broader use approval”…only a guess but I would guess the safeguard provision was an “onerous regulation”.
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Umm, no, it is said to also include protective conditions for bees.
The EPA’s registration of sulfoxaflor will also include updated requirements for product labels, including some crop-specific restrictions, as well as pollinator-protection language.
From everything I have read so far, this chemical has a much smaller impact on bees than other alternatives.
It’s like you didn’t even read the article in the OP or your own link Lol
How so? Was it originally approved for use under the Obama administration, yes or no?
Here the restrictions they are lifting, doesn’t look like anything earth shattering to me.
from Sulfoxaflor | US EPA
> EPA removed the prohibition of use on crops grown for seed because pollinator protection restrictions, including low use rates, will be in place regardless of whether the crop is grown for seed or for commodity harvest.
EPA removed the restriction to post-bloom application for bee-attractive crops only when there is low risk or limited potential for exposure to bees. The 12-foot buffer requirement was lifted because EPA believes the spray drift mitigation requirements on labels are adequate to limit drift. EPA removed the 2016 restriction against tank mixing because data show that there is no additional risk when sulfoxaflor is tank mixed with other compounds.
In addition they expanded its use to some other crops but keep this in mind…
same link
Widely-used alternatives do not have these restrictions and may pose higher risk to non-target wildlife than sulfoxaflor.
These restrictions remain in place…\
same link
To minimize potential exposure to bees near treated areas, the following statements/requirements are required on end-use product labels:
Environmental Hazards Statement:
“This product is highly toxic to bees and other pollinating insects exposed to direct treatment or to residues in/on blooming crops or weeds. Protect pollinating insects by following label directions intended to minimize drift and reduce pesticide risk to these organisms.”
The RT25 (how long foliar residues of sulfoxaflor exhibit toxicity to honey bees):
“The RT25 for this product is less than or equal to 3 hours.”
Directions for Use:
“Notifying known beekeepers within 1 mile of the treatment area 48 hours before the product is applied will allow them to take additional steps to protect their bees. Also, limiting application to times when managed bees and native pollinators are least active, e.g. 2 hours prior to sunset or when the temperature is below 50°F at the site of application will minimize risk to bees.”To further protect pollinators from potential exposure, EPA requires the following crop specific restrictions:
Citrus: Only one application is allowed between 3 days before bloom and until after petal fall per year Ornamentals: Do not make more than one application during bloom. The single application during bloom must not exceed a rate of 0.071 lb ai/acre. Pome Fruit, Stone Fruit, Tree Nuts and Pistachio: Do not apply this product any time between 3 days prior to bloom and until after petal fall. Small Fruit Vine Climbing & Low Growing Berry, Tree Plantations: Do not apply this product any time between 3 days prior to bloom and until after petal fall.
