May 26, 2014
Editor:
Dave Uphoff
The after effect of the severe winter is just now becoming apparent to area residents. Many evergreen bushes, especially Yews, have died off or parts have turned brown. Rose bushes also died off but if one cuts them back to the ground they probably will grow back. In my case, 2 Linden trees and 1 Sweetgum tree died but the death of the Linden tree may have been due to the infestation of the Japanese beetle the past several years. One positive aspect of the sever winter was the killing off of harmful insects. Minnesota authorities reported that over 90% of the Emerald Ash Borer may have been destroyed by the severe winter. This is good news because the Emerald Ash Borer has destroyed millions of ash trees in over 19 states and communities as close as Chenoa have been hit by the borer. Hopefully, the winter killed off the Japanese beetle as well but we won't know until the first week of July when the beetle first makes its appearance.Another damaging effect of the winter is the killing off of more honey bees. Current reports estimate that over 24% of the bee colonies died over the winter. The lack of bees is noticeable even in our area. My apple trees this spring were loaded with flowers. However, after inspecting the orchard this weekend, I noticed only a few apples on the tree. I can only infer this is due to the lack of bees in this area. Most people don't realize how important bees are to the production of food. According to the USDA, more than 75% of the world's flowering plants depend on pollination from insects such as bees. The report indicated this means bees help produce 1 out of 3 bites of food Americans eat. Unfortunately, the decline of the bee population is not only due to weather conditions. A recently released Harvard study indicated a mass application of neonicotinoid pesticides is putting too much pressure on the honey bee population. It is a complicated analysis but these pesticides seem to also make honey bees more vulnerable to mites.
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The major manufacturers of the pesticides such as Monsanto, DuPont and Bayer reject the notion that their products are killing the bees stating that the studies were not conducted properly and that the mites are the problem, not the pesticides. Nevertheless, the study was done by a reputable source and has been confirmed by the USDA. Neonicotinoid is used to treat corn and soybean seed for planting. This means the Minonk area is a prime user of this chemical. The pesticide has been banned by the European Union because of its contribution to the bee colony collapse. However, the United States is taking the approach of waiting for more evidence of bee colony collapse caused by the chemical. One can speculate that the lobbying effort of Monsanto and other companies has resulted in the USDA dragging its feet. Bees have been around longer than the plow and the combine. These little guys have more impact on the future of our food supply that all the machinery and chemicals put together. There has to be a balance between the survival of our natural world and the need to provide inexpensive food through chemicals. We hope that our government will start to listen to little guys who write editorials instead of big chemical companies with deep pockets. To learn more about neonicotinoid, click here.
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