Trump Administration Drops Survey On Declining Bee Populations After FDA Approves Bee-Killing Pesticide

Common Dreams reports:

On the heels of the EPA’s June approval of a bee-killing pesticide, the White House said it would stop collecting data on declining honey bee populations—potentially making it impossible to analyze the effects of the chemical and the administration’s other anti-science policies on the pollinators.

The USDA cited budget cuts when it said Saturday that it would indefinitely suspend data collection for its Honey Bee Colonies report, which has been compiled every year since 2015. The report helps scientists and farmers to assess the decline of honey bees, which are responsible for pollinating one in every three bites of food taken by humans.

The number of honey bee hives in the U.S. dropped from about six million in 1947 to just 2.4 million in 2008, with 2018 being the worst year on record for hive loss. Beekeepers reported last year that 40 percent of honey bee hives had collapsed, due to a combination of factors including the use of pesticides.

The ⁦USDA⁩ will suspend data collection for its honeybee colonies. I’m sure it’s a coincidence that this decision coincides w/ trumps approval to spray sulfoxaflor an insecticide that is "very highly toxic" to bees on more than 16 million acres. https://t.co/vk1HEydNNt

— Brianna Westbrook (@BWestbrookAZ8) July 7, 2019

EPA just okayed "emergency" use of bee-killing pesticides on nearly 14 million acres of land known to attract bees.

40% of insect species are on the brink of extinction. This is inexcusable. #SaveTheBeeshttps://t.co/ga60bZMvEI

— Friends of the Earth (@foe_us) July 8, 2019

"The US Department of Agriculture temporarily suspended data collection for its Honey Bee Colonies report, citing fiscal cuts as a number of other research programs are scaled back under the Trump admin." #StandUpForScience https://t.co/mPW7Ha3NcI

— Union of Concerned Scientists (@UCSUSA) July 8, 2019