schackerTake Action
BEE Active Network
Please help us continue to educate the public about colony collapse disorder and organic farming, gardening, beekeeping and lawn care to prevent honeybee die-off. Please donate to the Global Regeneration Project to fund the Schacker Family and their projects to regenerate the Earth and save the bees. Find out the full story of why this special microphilanthropy giving project is needed and why it is so important. Thank you in advance for your support. Make a donation and make a difference
We want to create a worldwide network of people working to Save the Bees. We have a small email group of people who are helping to promote the message in “A Spring Without Bees” Let’s take action to get the truth out about CCD and honey bee die-offs and to work on solutions.
Tell us what you are doing, give us links to other groups that are working on colony collapse disorder, banning of pesticides, and creating organic project.
Priority Action: Tell the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack about “A Spring Without Bees” and encourage him to allocate the millions of dollars allocated in 2008 to solve CCD, to focus on funding of organic alternatives and sustainable methods for bee management and agriculture. Then urge him to join us in calling for a suspension or ban of neonicotinoid and other neurotoxic pesticides.
Here are 8 main points:
- As of 2009, several European countries–France, Germany, Spain and Italy amoung them, have now suspended or banned IMD and others neonicotinoid pesticides like clothianidin, based upon their scientific data and a clear link to massive bee die-offs and CCD.
- U.S. States not using IMD have NO reports of CCD.
- Thousands of organic farms and beekeepers report they have NO CCD.
- In locations in Europe where the pesticides are banned for agriculture and are not being used in lawns or parks, the bees have returned, though it takes several years because toxic residue in the soil takes years to dissipate.
- The manufacturer’s test data is invalid because it does not take into account conditions in the field such as: toxic accumulation over time, even more dangerous and poisonous combinations with other chemicals in the field, the toxic impact upon bee immunity to viruses and other illness that cause massive die-offs and hive loss.
- IMD breaksdown into metabolites that are many times more toxic than IMD. These chemicals remain in the soil and waterways to harm and kill beneficial insects, earthworms, birds, bats, butterflies and aquatic life–all essential to the health of the environment.
- Exposure to the chemicals could be even higher in residenual areas, public places and parks than in agriculture. Unlike aricultural productswihc require strict warnings, precautions and guidelines for application, lawn and turf chemicals have no such restrictions, guidelines or required labeling.
- Even though the chemical’s main components, chlorine and nicotine, are known to be poisonous to humans with links to cancer and learning disorders, mandatory testing for dangers to young children and pregnant women was circumvented and never done. The active ingredients in flea sprays and collers and termite extermination chemicals are similiar to IMD.
Go to Natural Resources Defense Council to send Mr. Vilsack an urgent message. Please write your own message in the form or copy and paste the points above. http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/nrdcaction_072408
Larry Stone said
Hi All,
I’m a veteran NYC high school science teacher of over 25 years who is beginning a love affair with bees. I’d like to get involved and stay informed as I start with organic/natural beekeeping this coming Spring. Looking forward to an education and I hope I can help in some small way.
schacker said
The book, “A Spring Without Bees”, gives you fascinating and concise information to help you keep your bees healthy. You might even consider using the book’s message in your classes–depending on what subject you teach–there are many different angles to it that might fit. Your students might even like to get involved in Plan Bee efforts.
Sam Comfort is the head of the Bee Education Program at Bard College. He spoke at the Woodstock Library Forum about Michael’s book, “A Spring Without Bees” and his experience with what is happening with the bees with a fresh, young charm and great eloquence.
He is giving workshops this summer and fall around the area on beekeeping and other bee issues. You might want to attend one.
We will be getting a new hive a bees to replace the missing honeybees in our own neighborhood. We will be finding ways to talk to our neighbors so that they don’t get poisoned by lawn chemicals.
Contact Michael if you would like to be on our BEE Team email list.
Thank you and best of luck with your bees!
alice andrews said
We believe that it is our birthright to live in as toxic-free an environment as possible; and we think that Ulster County (and beyond) has a right to enact regulations to protect the health and safety of its citizens.
Please visit our website to find out more about what you can do to help ban pesticides here in Ulster County — and beyond.
-BEYOND PESTICIDES in ULSTER COUNTY
alice andrews said
BEYOND PESTICIDES in ULSTER COUNTY:
http://www.myspace.com/banpesticides
David J. Colon said
I found something that is killing the bees where I live. I noticed a gardener/janitor worker spraying acid on the sidewalk to get rid of stains and junk. As he sprayed it he left it there to soak and then came back with a hose to rinse it off of the sidewalk. As he let the acid soak on the stains many bees came ate the acid which killed them in a matter of seconds. By the time the worker came back to rinse off the stains there were about 50 bees laying around dead and dying on the sidewalk. They were strongly attracted to this chemical which killed them.
This concerned me so much that I went back to read the contents of this bottle. I wanted to do something because I know that bees are so important to our food supply. Here is what I read on the bottle: “Tile Brite One Step Acid Cleaner” I don’t know what to do with this information but I thought I would start here in case anyone could use it to help the bees.
schacker said
What ingredients are listed on the label–were you able to read it? I am wondering if it was added fragrance that attracted them. –Barbara
Julie Fletcher said
When my mother gave me “Silent Spring” for my 12th birthday it gave me great pause, and I always had the sense that everything in our garage cupboards, everything on our bathroom shelves, all the stuff they sprayed out of planes over our crops, and onto us, was poisonous. And now I know that intuition was right. I only wish there had been other choices readily available to us-natural alternatives, but that was before the era of Whole Foods (though they are not as good as they seem). That is why I find it sad and ironic that in the age of “alternative choice”, the government still controls a majority of our real choices. Sure, WE can buy organic asparagus, but can we protect our right to have asparagus available for our children? It’s like we woke up a little to late, in a Paradise that is quickly fading. The bees are not just a poetic metaphor, we are poisoning them, and ourselves. We are in desperate need of that paradigm shift. That is why I think your book is INVALUABLE, as was Carson’s. I will give it to every person I know. Thank you for doing what you have done. God I hope people will listen, for the sake of our children, their children, etc…
Robert Tormey said
Hello Mr. Schacker,
just finished the book today. I had asked my wife for it after hearing you on the radio (least I think it was you). Excellent book. sounds like you have much of the science right. I’ve spent considerable time in Salinas and Visalia and see Bee Keepers hard at work so this was an insightful book.
I would ask however that we separate the Bee issue where the science appears to be sound from the Global Warming issue where it appears to be pretty lame. Also, as a businessman, I’m a bit tired of always being painted with the ‘bad guy’ brush. Whether folks like it or not, we need technology, we need enterprise, we need business. We have 6 Billion people on the planet, more on the way, and we need to use science judiciously. Your science appears to be sound and you had me there, but the Global Warming, Bush Bashing, Al Gore worshipping is a bit much.
Anyway, I’ve started on the Bee issue. I live here in Chino Hills California and if there is any effort under consideration to perhaps put together groups by zip code so that we might coordinate our efforts a bit better, I’m in the 91709. You might want to ask folks for their zip codes and whether they would like to meet others. I can find no restrictive ordinances
There is a Southern California Bee Keepers Association here near me
Beekeepers’ Association of Southern California
When: 4th Thursday of the month (except November and December)
7:00 PM Coffee/Cookies – 7:30 PM General Meeting
Where: City Hall – Resource Center
13710 La Mirada Boulevard
La Mirada, CA 90638
Contact: Mark Allen, President
(562) 505-2768
markallen@bascbees.org
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.bascbes.org
Club Activities: Los Angeles County Pomona Fair
Beginner’s Beekeeping Class (1-day, April or May)
Do we coordinate with them? let me know. thanks.
Thanks for this effort over all. I imagine you’re a bit left of me politically but that’s fine, anyone of any party who eats ought to be a friend of the bee.
Robert Tormey said
Thanks much.