Letter writer: Neonics are a buzzkill 

Graphic by Lori Deaton

[In response to a recent website post, “North Carolina Pesticide Board Unanimously Approves Creation of Task Force to Investigate Risks of Neonicotinoid Insecticides to Pollinators and Aquatic Species,” July 13, Xpress], North Carolina is making a very important step to help save our crucial pollinators. By creating a task force to investigate the risks of a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids, or neonics, the state is leading the battle to get neonics banned.

Millions of bees are dying each year due to these harmful chemicals. Beekeepers lost 44 percent of their bee colonies last year. The death of our pollinators will lead to substantial environmental problems and a major food crisis. This can also have immense economic ramifications since bees and other pollinators are important for the production of dominant crops.

Neonics kill bees by disorienting them in their flight and weakening their immune systems, making them have trouble foraging and vulnerable to diseases. Currently, large agrochemical companies including Dow Chemical, Bayer and Syngenta are fighting to increase the use of these toxic insecticides.

Other states need to follow North Carolina’s lead to start testing the harmful consequences of neonics. The EPA needs to help restore bee colonies by placing a national ban on neonicotinoids.

— Ellen Chinn
Ambler, Pa.

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13 thoughts on “Letter writer: Neonics are a buzzkill 

  1. boatrocker

    What was the Einstein quote about bees? It had something to do with the food chain and survival of certain species including humans,
    What a damn progressive he was. Him and his thinky elitist science and math stuff.

    • bsummers

      “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”
      Albert Einstein

      Unfortunately, it looks like he never actually said it. Here’s a pretty good investigation that traces the topic, and the likely tangential connection to Einstein.

      http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/08/27/einstein-bees/

      Still, it’s very true. We just don’t actually have Einstein to thank for it…

  2. MMH

    … word of the day … ‘thinky’ yes.

    Wonder what Einstein thought of the history of the democrat party in America ?

    • bsummers

      Wildly off-topic much?

      And Fred Caudle, don’t you usually call them the ‘democrakkk’ party? Oh that’s right – you’re pretending to be someone else.

        • bsummers

          Whoops! I had posted what I understood to be the MX policy on sockpuppetry, and now it’s been deleted. Hmmm.

          • bsummers

            Sorry – I called someone a “vulgarist”, which is tame compared to what I and other “lefty loons” get called on a regular basis.

            Jeff – why don’t you tell us what your policy on sockpuppets is?

          • Able Allen

            Ok. This is all getting way off topic, but to try to end this tangential discussion, I’d be happy to extrapolate the way we are implementing our discussion policy as it comes to sock puppetry. For reference, a sock puppet is, as google defines it, “a false online identity, typically created by a person or group in order to promote their own opinions or views.” Now on this site, we currently allow people to use usernames if they wish instead of how they are publicly known, they aren’t required to disclose their identities, so sock puppetry enforcement gets complex. What we attempt to discourage through moderation is:
            Users are not allowed to create more than one identity and support themselves on comment boards or to try to get around moderation.
            Users are not allowed to misrepresent who they are- as in don’t lie about who you are and say you are somebody you aren’t or misrepresent your experience (don’t say you’re on city council if you’re not).
            But people are allowed to change their usernames anytime they want- If you are currently “123” but you’d rather be “987” that’s ok.
            Does that make sense? If you need further clarification on any of our discussion policies, feel free to email me at aallen@mountainx.com

  3. boatrocker

    From bees to Democrats, all in 3 posts or less- as someone who doesn’t work for the X, I am oft entertained by the puppet work that would make Jim Henson proud.

    I only hope the ‘blockbuster’ movie MMH refers to in so many threads here also covers:

    -Dems under Teddy R breaking up the monopolies, establishing the National Parks for conservation (conserve being the root word)
    -Getting us out of the Great Depression with the New Deal, thus creating the Silent Majority’s favorite draw on our GDP (Social Security)
    -Industrializing America in order to win WWII and keeping jobs at home until Reagan outsourcing them to Asia
    -Rebuilding Europe under The Marshall Plan
    -Facing down the USSR during the Cuban Missile Crisis to avert a nuclear war
    – Signing both the Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights Act into law
    -Putting humans on the moon
    I could go on…

    ‘Vulgarist’ is a word not heard much since duels were legal. Those early 1800’s types knew how to throw an insult around.

    For any booky types, after Sherlock Holmes retired from sleuthing, he raised bees. Being the fictional genius he was, he realized the importance of bees as part of the circle of life long before agrochem had the sway in Congress that it does now.

    • Able Allen

      To be accurate, T. Roosevelt was a Republican, before he got frustrated with Taft and became a “BullMoose” progressive. Obviously not the same party it is today. Neither party very much resembles the way it was 100 years ago.

      • boatrocker

        Amen. Teddy was a Repub, but acted and voted like the party of humanity.

        I only know about politics for reading far right wingnut poop and lefty progressive screwl stuff.
        I never would have gained any knowledge other than posting.

        I heard it, I heard it, I heard it on the X

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPTfIPHLUcw

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