Buy organic for the bees

Organic corn is grown from seed that does not have the
a toxic coating of neonicotinoids. All other corn
probably does, even if it's no-spray.

I just finished reading in the latest Rolling Stone a story about yet another link between agricultural pesticide use, bees and colony collapse disorder (CCD).

One of the latest agricultural pesticides to be used extensively (since 2000) are neonicotinoids, a derivative of nicotine.

These chemicals, also called neonics, are used as a seed coating. The plant that grows from a neonic-coated seed contains neonics in all its tissues. Insects try eating a part of the plant and die. The plant survives to bear fruit and go to market. Agri-business thrives.

A couple of questions though. First, what do neonics do to humans? They are neurotoxic, but we are assured that we are absorbing them in such small doses they won't hurt us. According to the article by Alex Morris, a 2012 US Department of Agriculture survey found neonics in 22 percent of cherry tomatoes and 25 percent of bell peppers. They're also found in baby food. Studies show that unless you eat solely organic food, you have these neonicotinoids in your blood. This might be okay for grown people, but potentially quite damaging to the developing brains of babies.

More urgently, they seem to be killing bees. They're not an instant killer, like many pesticides. Instead, the bees seem to survive a few weeks while dining on the flowers of the neonic-infused flowers. In fact, some observers think bees actually prefer these flowers - they are full of addictive nicotine after all. They take the pollen back to their hives - which means the honey is neonic-tainted too - but then after a few weeks they die while off on their travels, leaving the beekeeper to wonder what he has done to lose his bees.

Needles to say, these toxic seed-coatings have been banned in safety-conscious Europe pending future testing on the effects these chemicals have on humans and the environment.

In corporate-friendly USA however, the EPA has decided neonics are probably safe, and continues slowly investigating while agri-business uses them extensively. Neoniotinoid-coated seeds are being used in both Canada and the US.

Fortunately, under US and Canadian law, organic seeds cannot be coated with neonics or other chemicals.

This is yet another reason to support your local organic farmers.