Bee Decline Riddle Solved: Blame Bayer
It is looking likely that a insecticide sold by Bayer, clothianidin, which is banned in Germany, France, Italy, and Slovenia, is harming the global bee population. It appears that the EPA is happy for the product to remain on sale, despite a leaked document that says it is toxic to bees.
The document, which was leaked to a Colorado beekeeper, shows that the EPA has ignored warnings about the use of clothianidin, a pesticide produced by Bayer that mainly is used to pre-treat corn seeds. The pesticide scooped up $262 million in sales in 2009 by farmers, who also use the substance on canola, soy, sugar beets, sunflowers, and wheat…