Transcript Document

Pollinators: Pesticides,
Science & Public Policy
NASDA Natural Resources, Pesticide
Management and Environment Committee,
September 14, 2012
Presented by Iain Kelly
On Behalf of
CropLife America
Pollinator Issue Management Team
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The Questions
 How serious is the decline in pollinator health?
 What are the causes of declining pollinator health?
 Do pesticides have a role in declining pollinator
health?
 What are the solutions to declining pollinator
health?
 How do we protect pollinators in agricultural
settings?
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Honey Bees: The Sparkplug of
Agriculture
 Number of species of bees = 20,000+
 Number of species of of Apis = 7
 Number of subspecies of A. mellifera = 28
 Brought to North America early 1600s
 Subject to global movement
 Will focus today’s talk on the honey bee as the
representative species with the largest dataset
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Need for Crop Protection Products
and Pollinators
Average yield losses without
crop protection (rice, wheat,
barley, corn, potatoes,
soybeans, cotton, coffee*)
10% pollinators
Economic contribution of
pollinators to food crop production
Sustainable agriculture requires efficient pollination
services and responsible use of pesticides
* approx. 50 % of crop area worldwide - Source: Oerke et al., 1995 / Yudelman et al., 1998
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* *Gallai et al. 2009
Is this indicative of declining honey bee health?
No!
•Change in data recording
•Fewer beekeepers
•Imported honey
•Shift to pollination services
The U.S. Honey Bee Industry is Changing
Almond pollination require approximately 1.6 million of the 2.6
million colonies in the U.S. and is a driver of the number of colonies
Previously: Honey and
Hive Products
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Increasingly: Pollination Services
Bee Colonies Worldwide
35.000.000
Trend in Beehives Numbers Across Continents
Africa
Northern America
30.000.000
Central America
South America
25.000.000
Asia
Europe
Oceania
20.000.000
15.000.000
10.000.000
5.000.000
0
1965
7
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
Data source: FAOSTAT (http://faostat.fao.org/site/573/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=573)
2005
2010
Status of Honey Bee Health
 Is honey bee health declining? - YES!
 Historical winter losses = 10 - 15%
And 2011/2012?
 Current average reported losses = 30 - 40%
 Losses up to 100% in some apiaries
 Almost all colonies are showing health issues
 Is this a global issue?
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Honey Bee Colony Losses Overwinter
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Average % Loss
 More significant in Northern
Hemisphere
 Southern Hemisphere less so
Australia (no Varroa mite)
Africa: Africanized honey bees
21.9%
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30
25
20
2006
2007
2008
2009
Year
2010
2011
2012
Factors Affecting Bee Health
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•
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•
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Hive management
Food & water
Toxins (inc. pesticides)
Weather &Shelter
Varroacide resistance
Mites
Viruses
FL  CA  FL  PA  ME  NY  PA  FL
Multiple & Various
Causative Agents
Fungi
Pests and predators
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Bacteria
Bee Declines: The Beekeepers View
Honey Bee Colony Losses in the U.S., winter
2009-2010* (2010 – 2011 results similar)
• Responding beekeepers attributed their losses to
 Starvation
32%
 Weather
29%
 Weak colonies in the Fall 14%
 Mites
12%
 Poor queens
10%
 Only 5% of beekeepers attributed Colony Collapse
Disorder (CCD) as the major cause
*http://ento.psu.edu/news/2010/losses-2009-10
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Pesticides and Bee Health
• In large “multi-factorial” studies in North America and Europe poor
bee health correlates well with Varroa/ bee diseases but poorly
with exposure to agrochemicals.
• Elevated colony losses are NOT occurring in Australia where
Varroa is absent
• Neonicotinoid (NNC) seed treatments have attracted considerable
attention as a possible cause of declining bee health but:
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NNCs among the least frequently detected pesticides in US bee hives
Many beekeepers whose bees pollinate agricultural crops treated with
NNCs and other agrochemicals report low annual colony losses
Improvements in bee health have not been seen in France following
NNC suspension in some crops
Field studies have consistently found no adverse effects on colonies
when NNCs are applied properly in the field in contrast to lab and
semi- field studies often conducted at exaggerated rates
Recent Activity Surrounding
Pollinators and Neonicotinoids
Media Interest
NGO Petition to suspend
clothianidin filed (Mar 20, 2012)
This is a well
organized campaign
Highly publicized scientific studies
On-line Campaigns
Bees are still dying. EPA is moving too
slowly. Urge Congress to step up
Recent Studies of Note – which
ones are the media covering?
Planter Seed dust
could kill bees but
levels exhausted
not measured
• Krupke et al. [Jan 3, 2012] Multiple Routes of Pesticide
Exposure for Honey Bees Living Near Agricultural Fields.
PLOS one.
High doses
disorient bees, field
levels do not
• Schneider et al. [Jan 11, 2012] RFID Tracking of Sublethal
Effects of Two Neonicotinoid Insecticides on the Foraging
Behavior of Apis mellifera. PLOS one
Nosema infection ↑
in lab, but not in the
field
• Pettis et al. [Jan 13, 2012] Pesticide exposure in honey
bees results in increased levels of the gut pathogen
Nosema. Naturwissenschaften
“We conclude that
dietary
neonicotinoids
cannot be
implicated in
honey bee
declines”
• Cresswell et al. [Jan 24, 2012] Dietary traces of
neonicotinoid pesticides as a cause of population declines
in honey bees: an evaluation by Hill’s epidemiological
criteria. Pest Management Science
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Recent Studies of Note – which
ones are the media covering?
Many lab studies
show effects, but
no effects in field
studies
Pathogens (not
pesticides) are
cause of bumble
bee declines
• Blacqierre et al. [Feb 18, 2012] Neonicotinoids in bees: a
review of concentrations, side effects and risk assessment.
Ecotoxicology
• Szabo et al. [March 19, 2012] Do pathogen spillover,
pesticide use, or habitat loss explain recent North American
bumblebee declines? Conservation Letters
High dose can
disorient bees
• Henry et al. [March 29, 2012] A Common Pesticide
Decreases Foraging Success and Survival in Honey Bees.
Sciencexpress
Low dose in lab
resulted in
effects
• Whitehorn et al. [March 29, 2012] Neonicotinoid Pesticide
Reduces Bumble Bee Colony Growth and Queen
Production. Sciencexpress
Neonic in corn
syrup fed to bees
causes
CCD
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[except it really
didn’t]
• Lu et al. [April 5, 2012] In situ replication of honey bee
colony collapse disorder. Bulletin of Insectology
EPA’s Position on Clothianidin Petition
• …the Agency is “not aware of any data that
reasonably demonstrates that bee colonies are
subject to elevated losses due to chronic exposure
to this pesticide.” (02/18/11)
• “...the petition and supporting documentation
reviewed by the EPA do not demonstrate a
substantial likelihood of imminent, serious harm
that would justify the suspension of this pesticide
under the FIFRA standard” (07/27/12)
page 15 • Our Commitment to Bee Health • 2011
But ……
• Pollinator health is different
from acute bee effects
• The whole industry works hard
to minimize acute effects
• Tools include technological
advances, stewardship,
education, training, BMPs etc.
• Stewardship/BMPs require a
lifecycle approach customized
for crop, application method
(e.g. seed treatment, foliar
applied), local conditions etc.
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Solution to Honey Bee Health Crisis
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Effective monitoring & diagnosis of colony health
IPM for bee pests particularly Varroa mite
Integrated bee management
Supportive agricultural policies
Open, positive and collaborative stakeholder
communication
Science-based risk management for pesticides
Science Based Risk Management
for Pesticides
Pollinator protection from pesticide use should be achieved
via:
 A robust science-based risk assessment process to determine
the potential risks posed by pesticides
 Adoption of the science into a regulatory testing framework
 Consistent label language appropriate to crop, application
method, and pesticide product, based on the risk assessment
 Robust and coordinated stewardship of pesticide products,
crops, and managed pollinator populations
 Applicator training and grower education programs to ensure
use of best management practices that are appropriate to local
situations
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Ongoing Activities to Protect Pollinators
• 2011 SETAC Global Workshop developed expert guidance for
quantifying risks to honey and non-Apis bees from pesticides
• 2011: Pesticide Program Dialog Committee (PPDC) formed
the Pollinator Protection Workgroup to build a consensus
approach to risk management through labeling, BMPs,
enforcement and education amongst multiple stakeholders
• Sept 2012: EPA presented its proposed process for
quantitatively estimating pesticide risk to insect pollinators to
the FIFRA Science Advisory Panel (SAP)
• Oct 2012: USDA National Stakeholders Meeting planned to
synthesize knowledge about the multiple factors associated
with pollinator declines and propose management and
research strategies to improve bee health
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Summary
• Crop production and honey bees are vital to
feeding the growing world population
• No single factor is responsible for general
honey bee colony losses
• The solution to the bee health crisis consists
of many parts and many stakeholders
• The safe use of pesticides is dependent on a
robust, science based approach to risk
management
• The process to improve bee health is
ongoing and needs time to be implemented
in an open and transparent process
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