Bee aware: we are likely destroying our ecosystem

[betts]

Another Silent Spring? | George Monbiot

I posted this on facebook, but am going to do so everywhere I can get people to read.

This might be a long post, but bear with me if you would. Tonight I took my dog for a walk. It's our usual route and one of the evening's enjoyments is watching a family of toads that live in a nearby group of houses. They hang out near the streetlight, presumably to catch insects. But tonight, as I walked down the sidewalk, I saw one of them lying dead. Another was sitting there, I thought, but when we got close it barely moved. It was clearly sick. The third we didn't see at all.

This follows a day in which I sat on the bench outside my house. We have lots of flowers along our street and last year I saw many butterflies visiting them" red admirals, painted ladies, sulphurs, skippers and the occasional Monarch. This afternoon I watched for a long time and all I saw were a couple of the common white cabbage butterflies.

This week, Time Magazine's cover story is about our bee problem. I don't know if the article will talk about the mysterious deaths of so many of our bees, because I'm not sure it's a mystery. Yes, there are bee viruses and fungi, but I think people are finally figuring it out.

Our obsession with perfect lawns, loading them down with insecticides and fertilizer, killing any grass that invades the sidewalk with Round-up, as well as treating weeds the same, is a good place to start. Things that kill are poisons. What might poison a bee, a butterfly or a toad can kill us as well. Maybe not quickly, but the bees didn't die quickly either. We've been spraying our crops and lawns with poisons for several decades. Or, perhaps it's the new genetically engineered plants that have insecticides built into them that are causing the problem. Regardless, I think we have to act, if we love our children and our grandchildren, or our hope of future grandchildren.

Companies that manufacture insecticides and herbicides don't care about our children and grandchildren. They don't even appear to care about their own. But they do care about money. The only way to change large companies' behavior is to cut off their supply of money. So, the next time you see a bare spot in your lawn, don't rush to the garden center to buy grub killer. The next time you see aphids on your roses or other flowers, don't grad the insecticide. The next time you see weeds in your flowerbed or in the cracks in your sidewalk, don't grab the Round-up. Get the weed wet and you can easily pull it out by the roots. Research natural ways to get rid of pests or wait for another beneficial insect like a lady bug or praying mantis to do it for you. Pay a little extra for organic vegetables and avoid genetically modified foods. I'm fine with genetic modification, but not at the expense of our beneficial insects. It might take a little more work, it might cost a little extra money, but aren't our children and their health worth it?

[bchris02]

Large agricultural corporations like Monsanto would completely kill the planet if it would make them a few more bucks. Not buying Round-up won't do any good because Monsanto doesn't make most of their money through the consumer grade product. The big bucks are in the industrial product, which is used by most farmers and most of the food you eat has been genetically engineered by Monsanto to be Round-up resistant (they call it Round-up Ready). Unfortunately I don't see a solution unless everybody starts buying organic, which isn't going to happen. Americans are too addicted to getting things as cheap and as processed as possible. I am afraid the piper is going to have to be paid sooner or later. Every time humanity pushes too hard against nature, nature pushes back with a vengeance.

[Dennis Heaton]

Betts...I swear, when I first moved to where I am living now (open fields on the N, S & W), there used to be hundreds of toads in the breezeways at night. We have a creek that runs along the East side of the apartment complex. So far this year (9 years later) I have seen 2 toads. I saw one Monarch butterfly in the past week. And I have seen only one Dragonfly this year. I am happy to report though, we (myself and 5 youngins) did capture about 200 or so Fireflies a few weeks back, before we set them free. I have also noticed that a lot more trees (in the square mile) are gone this year. Sad.

[Just the facts]

On the Roundup front, I checked about a year ago to see if Roundup could have a negative affect on bees (or any other critters for that matter) as I use it around the house. From everything I could find Roundup becomes inert the second it hits the ground. I would have to spray it directly on the bees to harm them - which might be happening if Roundup is being sprayed by the thousand gallons from a high pressure aerial sprayer.

[kelroy55]

On the Roundup front, I checked about a year ago to see if Roundup could have a negative affect on bees (or any other critters for that matter) as I use it around the house. From everything I could find Roundup becomes inert the second it hits the ground. I would have to spray it directly on the bees to harm them - which might be happening if Roundup is being sprayed by the thousand gallons from a high pressure aerial sprayer.

Lots of farmers and other ag. folk spray from planes and even though they fly low that stuff drifts and gets into the water supply.

[betts]

I have stopped buying any fresh food that is not organic, and I'm trying to avoid processed food as much as possible. For people who think pesticides are safe for people, I would ask: Are you sure? Is it worth the risk?

[betts]

Pesticide exposure during pregnancy may increase autism risk ? The Chart - CNN.com Blogs

This is some interesting new research that's out.

[Plutonic Panda]

Betts, thank you for posting this. I was actually going post something similar to this when I add a chance. This a serious problem that is going to have serious effects here pretty soon.

[Just the facts]

I would have no problem if our food production was cut in half.

[Martin]

I would have no problem if our food production was cut in half.

[Just the facts]

Over 60% of the food grown in this country either spoils before it reaches the market or is thrown away by the end consumer. If we cut our production in half we would still be throwing away 10%.

[Dennis Heaton]

I do know this for a fact...If the Walmart Neighborhood Market I grocery shop at from time-to-time didn't charge so much for avocadoes, I'd buy more and they wouldn't have to trash so many each week. And, yes, I do use ad match if the local ads have what's on my shopping list.

[RadicalModerate]

Over 60% of the food grown in this country either spoils before it reaches the market or is thrown away by the end consumer. If we cut our production in half we would still be throwing away 10%.

This reminds me of the giant garbage cans adjacent to the exit door of the lunchroom/cafeteria of the University Hill Elementary school I once attended. The problem was that the vegetables were overcooked. I guess. Thankfully, I once noticed a guy with a big truck picking up the leftovers. Probably to feed his hogs or whatever. And this would have been back in about '60. So, even then there were Environmentalists. =) Even before the first "Earth Day".

[HangryHippo]

Over 60% of the food grown in this country either spoils before it reaches the market or is thrown away by the end consumer. If we cut our production in half we would still be throwing away 10%.

I normally agree with a lot of what you say, but wouldn't you prefer we not cut production but make better use of what we grow and then cut production by 10%?

[RadicalModerate]

This is all just so sad. And the saddest part of all is that absolutely nothing will be done about it. Nothing.
(Speaking of disappearing "wildlife" . . . What ever happened to the hundreds of horned toads (a.k.a. "horny toads") that used to populate the local landscape?)

[Just the facts]

This is all just so sad. And the saddest part of all is that absolutely nothing will be done about it. Nothing.
(Speaking of disappearing "wildlife" . . . What ever happened to the hundreds of horned toads (a.k.a. "horny toads") that used to populate the local landscape?)

The solution begins in all of us. All you can do is look at your own life and the way you live, adjust accordingly, and then spread the word. If you are waiting for the 'rollin coal' types to go first then your right, nothing will be done.

Dennis brings up an interesting topic with the avocadoes. Since he lives in Oklahoma, and avocadoes aren't grown there should he be eating them at all? Does it make good use of the earth resources to move food around the planet vs. eating locally sourced foods? BTW - there are ways to grow any food in Oklahoma, it's just much cheaper (thanks to federal subsidies) to move food 3,000 miles than it is to grow it where the consumer is.

[Dennis Heaton]

JTF...And I would love to buy my avocadoes from a California grower instead of Peru or Chili...or where ever they come from now (some do come from Mexico). Nothing beats a California grown avocado!

[RadicalModerate]

The solution begins in all of us. All you can do is look at your own life and the way you live, adjust accordingly, and then spread the word. If you are waiting for the 'rollin coal' types to go first then your right, nothing will be done.

That is exactly the problem. Most people don't seem to care about these types of issues at all. My wife and I don't use pesticides or herbicides. We don't waste water on a pet lawn. We've done some xeriscaping to make the lack of a lush lawn visually appealing in its own way. We even use the recycling bin provided for pickup by the city. If everyone played the game the same way our collective efforts might make a difference. The fact is, everyone doesn't and it is unlikely that fact will change in the near future. I hate to be so cynical and pessimistic here, yet all of our "personal" efforts in this connection are like the fable of that kid sticking his finger in the dike to prevent the ocean from flooding in while just down the road someone else is attacking the dike with a steam shovel.

p.s. I miss seeing the honeybees even though I'm highly allergic to their stings. Wasps, on the other hand, could all go extinct tomorrow and it wouldn't bother me a bit. =)

[Stew]

The solution begins in all of us. All you can do is look at your own life and the way you live, adjust accordingly, and then spread the word. If you are waiting for the 'rollin coal' types to go first then your right, nothing will be done.

Dennis brings up an interesting topic with the avocadoes. Since he lives in Oklahoma, and avocadoes aren't grown there should he be eating them at all? Does it make good use of the earth resources to move food around the planet vs. eating locally sourced foods? BTW - there are ways to grow any food in Oklahoma, it's just much cheaper (thanks to federal subsidies) to move food 3,000 miles than it is to grow it where the consumer is.

You can have my avocados when you can pry them from my cold dead hands... Aside from avocados I agree with you and appears we are nudging ever so slightly in that direction.

[RadicalModerate]

You can have my avocados when you can pry them from my cold dead hands... Aside from avocados I agree with you and appears we are nudging ever so slightly in that direction.

Can I have your discarded Weird Al Yankovic 8-Tracks too? =)
(the one's with the unsimulated accordion soloriffs . . .)

[Dennis Heaton]

This is all just so sad. And the saddest part of all is that absolutely nothing will be done about it. Nothing.
(Speaking of disappearing "wildlife" . . . What ever happened to the hundreds of horned toads (a.k.a. "horny toads") that used to populate the local landscape?)

I believe they are hanging out along Robinson Avenue now.

[RadicalModerate]

I believe they are hanging out along Robinson Avenue now.

I wonder if Bro. Brian has any videos documenting that . . . =)

[ctchandler]

RM,
I read somewhere that the "horned frog" population in Oklahoma was pretty much eradicated by a disease (I believe they said it was similar to leukemia). You still find them in Texas, but not many, if any in Oklahoma.
C. T.

This is all just so sad. And the saddest part of all is that absolutely nothing will be done about it. Nothing.
(Speaking of disappearing "wildlife" . . . What ever happened to the hundreds of horned toads (a.k.a. "horny toads") that used to populate the local landscape?)

[RadicalModerate]

RM,
I read somewhere that the "horned frog" population in Oklahoma was pretty much eradicated by a disease (I believe they said it was similar to leukemia). You still find them in Texas, but not many, if any in Oklahoma.
C. T.

Glad to read that it wasn't Human Interference with The Environment that caused their demise.
They were about the only winsome lizards I can recall from my childhood.
Sort of like . . . The Guinea Pigs of Reptiles. =)

No kidding: There used to be hundreds of them around here (back in the late 50's to early 60's) and then there were none.
Is leukemia contagious? I don't think I've every encountered that theory . . .

[Wambo36]

RM,
I read somewhere that the "horned frog" population in Oklahoma was pretty much eradicated by a disease (I believe they said it was similar to leukemia). You still find them in Texas, but not many, if any in Oklahoma.
C. T.

Was told sometime ago, by a friend who works in the wildlife dept., that the demise of the red ant population in the state is the main reason for the declining population of horned toads. The red ant was the main food source and when they started being killed out, so went the horny toad. I've assumed this to be true since I know there are nowhere near the amount of red ants around as I remember growing up. Red ant hills were pretty common, even in our neighborhood environment, when I was growing up. Now if my kids see one it's cause to stop and stare. I wonder if the fear of "fire ants" moving into Oklahoma was responsible for killing them out? If this was coupled with some sort of leukemia like disease, it would explain the absolute decimation of the horned toad population in these parts.