Fungicides and Colony Collapse Disorder

Research from the US Department of Agriculture and the University of Maryland indicates that bees collecting pollen exposed to common fungicides are three times more susceptible to nosema infections, which are implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder.

Recent wet weather in the midwest US has bolstered the use of fungicides– but they are commonly used in many climates like ours in Eugene, Oregon.  Current testing by citizen volunteers in cooperation with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has found levels of fungicide presence in the Amazon Creek in outlfows from the southeast Eugene residential neighborhood as high as those from industrial areas.

We cannot afford to keep our ornamentals pretty at the cost of killing off our pollinators!

As the list of research-substantiated honeybee hazards in pesticides grows in the wake of record pollinator declines globally, we need alternatives not only in agriculture but in lawn and garden  care, as developed by the organic lawncare initiative for professional landscapers and homeowners.

And here is the link to the Northwest Alternatives to Pesticides’ fact sheet for  “Pesticide-Free Techniques for Managing Common Rose Diseases”— which focuses on avoiding fungus problems.