A North Dakota beekeeper is putting his money where his mouth is to
prove that an ingredient used in some pesticides is wreaking havoc with
his bee colonies.
Chris Charles believes imidacloprid, an active ingredient used by Bayer
to make pesticides such as Gaucho and Admire, has been harming his
hives since 1998.
The Carrington, N.D., producer says he is spending $35,000 US to have a
test developed that will gauge the levels of imidacloprid in bees, wax
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and pollen.
He’s confident the test will prove beyond a doubt that the chemical is
present in his colonies at unacceptably high levels.
“I’m willing to give up my livelihood to prove this,” said Charles, who
keeps 5,000 bee colonies in North Dakota and 3,000 colonies in Nebraska.
Some beekeepers in Canada also allege imidacloprid has caused high
mortality rates in their hives in recent years.
They suspect exposure to the chemical causes the bees to become
disoriented, impairing their ability to return to their hives. Bee
numbers dwindle and the affected hives eventually collapse.
The Canadian Honey Council has taken the concerns to the Pest
Management Regulatory Agency and the federal government.
The honey council wants registration for the chemical withdrawn until
it is proven that imidacloprid poses no threat to honey bees.
“The PMRA is still registering this product for use on more crops, most
recently soybeans,” said honey council president Dave MacMillan.
“Widespread spraying on this crop could have serious consequences for
Ontario beekeepers.
“Honeybees have long been considered barometers of our environment and
what affects them will ultimately affect humans.”
Bayer rejects the allegations against imidacloprid.
The company has said the chemical ingredient has a high affinity for
soil particles and organic matter. That helps prevent it from being
taken up by plants and becoming available to bees through the flowers,
according to Bayer.
The company, which has supported research in Canada and elsewhere to
prove imidacloprid is not the culprit, suggests other factors are at
play that have been overlooked.
Charles, the North Dakota beekeeper, said tests he had done last fall
found that imidacloprid was one of two chemicals present in his bees,
wax and pollen. The tests were done by Alpine Laboratory in Florida.
But Bayer disputed the validity of the testing, and Charles
acknowledged the results were not accurate.
That prompted his decision to spend $35,000 for the development of a
test that he believes will prove his suspicions and will withstand the
scrutiny of those refuting the allegations against imidacloprid.
He hopes to have the results verified by two laboratories in Canada, so
they will be even more difficult to challenge.
Charles said if he can prove beyond a doubt that imidacloprid is
putting his hives in peril, it’s possible that North Dakota will ban
the chemical and will support a lobby for a broader ban in the United
States.
The fact that he is challenging a powerful, international
pharmaceutical company will not deter him, he said.
“They could break me if they wanted to. If that’s the way it’s got to
be, that’s the way it’s got to be.
“I started this and I’m going to finish it, broke or not broke.”
