Bee Death Conspiracy

In 2008, the USDA ordered a report on the impact of massive bee deaths on agriculture and the causes of colony collapse disorder (CCD), but some of the results of this report may have been kept SECRET. On PhysOrg.com, Kim Kaplan quotes researcher Edward B. Knipling as saying, "Honey bees are critical to US agriculture, with about 130 crops depending on pollination to add more than $15 billion in crop value annually. (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to this show). It is vital that we find a way to deal with CCD. This report is an important measure of what we are learning about this serious problem."

A leaked document from the Environmental Protection Agency reveals that the government knew that the pesticide Clothianidin posed serious risks to honey bees, but decided to keep the information secret. This chemical, which is widely used on corn crops in the US, has already been banned in parts of Europe. It’s made by Bayer, and is also sprayed on canola, soy, sugar beets, sunflowers and wheat–and the company wants to EXPAND its use. On the animals change website, Stephanie Feldstein writes, "While the WikiLeaks media frenzy may have been focused on the release of tens of thousands of classified military and U.S. State Department documents, it’s a leaked Environmental Protection Agency document that has conservationists, environmentalists and beekeepers abuzz."