Studies Suggest Pesticides are Killing Birds and Bees

"In 2007, The Daily News ran articles concerning the disappearance of bees, crop pollinators and songbirds. Farmers are becoming alarmed that there will not be enough bees around to pollinate their crops. These crops are our food supply. So what is happening to the bees? A look at our lifestyles gives us the answer.

Our dependence on chemicals permeates every aspect of our lives. Walk through garden supply departments and see rows and rows of chemicals. When citizens douse their lawns and gardens with pesticides to try to have the greenest lawn or the prettiest flowers in the neighborhood, they use chemicals that are toxic to bees.

In our pursuit of perfect produce, farmers spread pesticides, which are considered highly toxic to bees. Even the city of Longview spreads pesticides around the city and our parks to control the aphids and leaf miners, which irritate our residents. The pesticide in this case, is Imidacloprid, which was outlawed in France because of its toxicity to bees. This chemical stays in the soil for months and, in some cases, years. Even small amounts will disorient bees to the extent that they cannot find their way back to their hives. The bees also lose the ability to groom themselves, exposing them to mite and virus infestation and death."

Read the article