honeybees

Discussion With USDA About Honey Bee Health Survey

June Stoyer 2 Comments Agriculture, Animals, Bees, Gardening, GMO, Health, Herbicides, Horticulture, Neonicotinoids, Organic, Organic News, Other Shows, Pesticides, Sustainability

Recently, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a survey about honey bee health which has created quite a stir from bee health advocates as well as beekeepers. The survey implies that honey bee populations are increasing. Meanwhile, beekeepers are expressing concerns about the interpretation of this data. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer discusses the survey with Mr. Joshua O’Rear, an agricultural statistician with USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. His current duties include preparing the estimates for the Honey, Honey Bee Colonies, and Cost of Pollination reports. Stay tuned!

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USDA’s Controversial Honey Bee Health Survey

June Stoyer 2 Comments Agriculture, Animals, Bees, Environment, Gardening, GMO, Health, Herbicides, Horticulture, Neonicotinoids, Organic, Organic News, Other Shows, Pesticides, Sustainability, The Neonicotinoid View, Trending, Wildlife

On August 1, 2017, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a survey about honey bee health which has outraged honey bee health advocates. The survey infers that honey bee populations are rising. This is shocking news for many honey bee health advocates who have observed the exact opposite. The common belief expressed by honey bee health advocates is that the data is ambiguous and misleading to the uninformed. In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer, discusses this controversial USDA survey with Gene Brandi. Gene Brandi is Owner/operator of Gene Brandi Apiaries since 1978 and currently holds the office of President of the American Beekeeping Federation. Previously, he was President of the California State Beekeepers Association, and has been a member CSBA Board of Directors since 1978. Also, Gene is a board member Project Apis-M, and past Chairman of the National Honey Board.

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Will Neonicotinoids Be Banned in 2017?

June Stoyer 3 Comments Agriculture, Bees, Environment, Gardening, GMO, Health, Herbicides, Horticulture, Neonicotinoids, Organic, Organic News, Other Shows, Pesticides, Roses, Sustainability, The Neonicotinoid View, Trees, Trending

It’s a brand new year that awaits the changing of the guard as a new administration takes the helm. This year is already filled with eagerness in anticipation of a number of possibilities regarding the environment, both good and bad. Although, some of key focal points are energy and climate change, it will be very interesting to see if any progress is made to protect our pollinators. Meanwhile, industry hasn’t wasted a single minute and has begun its routine of spewing out rhetoric in hopes of maintaining huge profits while beekeepers struggle to keep their bees alive. Meanwhile, in Europe, the impact of neonicotinoids on pollinators is being carefully monitored and reviewed. In a recent paper, the lethal impact proves to be the cause for the decline in birds. Will America step up to the plate this year and finally ban neonicotinoids?

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