1. Pollinators: Pesticides, Science & Public Policy NASDA Natural Resources, Pesticide Management and Environment Committee, September 14, 2012
Presented by Iain Kelly
On Behalf of
CropLife America
Pollinator Issue Management Team 1

2. The Questions How serious is the decline in pollinator health?
What are the causes of declining pollinator health?
Do pesticides have a role in declining pollinator health?
What are the solutions to declining pollinator health?
How do we protect pollinators in agricultural settings? 2

3. Honey Bees: The Sparkplug of Agriculture
Number of species of bees = 20,000+
Number of species of of Apis = 7
Number of subspecies of A. mellifera = 28
Brought to North America early 1600s
Subject to global movement
Will focus today’s talk on the honey bee as the representative species with the largest dataset 3

4. Need for Crop Protection Products and Pollinators
Average yield losses without crop protection (rice, wheat, barley, corn, potatoes, soybeans, cotton, coffee*)
Economic contribution of pollinators to food crop production
10% pollinators
Sustainable agriculture requires efficient pollination services and responsible use of pesticides
* approx. 50 % of crop area worldwide - Source: Oerke et al., 1995 / Yudelman et al., 1998 4
* *Gallai et al. 2009

5. Is this indicative of declining honey bee health?
No!
Change in data recording
Fewer beekeepers
Imported honey
Shift to pollination services

6. The U.S. Honey Bee Industry is Changing
Almond pollination require approximately 1.6 million of the 2.6 million colonies in the U.S. and is a driver of the number of colonies
Previously: Honey and Hive Products
Increasingly: Pollination Services 6

7. Bee Colonies Worldwide
Data source: FAOSTAT (
Trend in Beehives Numbers Across Continents
Africa
Northern America
Central America
South America
Asia
Europe
Oceania 7

8. Status of Honey Bee Health
Is honey bee health declining? - YES!
Historical winter losses = %
Current average reported losses = %
Losses up to 100% in some apiaries
Almost all colonies are showing health issues
Is this a global issue?
More significant in Northern
Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere less so
Australia (no Varroa mite)
Africa: Africanized honey bees
And 2011/2012?
21.9% 8

9. Factors Affecting Bee Health
Hive management
Food & water
Toxins (inc. pesticides)
Weather &Shelter
Varroacide resistance
Mites
Viruses
Multiple & Various Causative Agents
FL  CA  FL  PA  ME  NY  PA  FL
Fungi
Pests and predators 9
Bacteria

10. Bee Declines: The Beekeepers View
Honey Bee Colony Losses in the U.S., winter * (2010 – 2011 results similar)
Responding beekeepers attributed their losses to
Starvation 32%
Weather 29%
Weak colonies in the Fall 14%
Mites 12%
Poor queens 10%
Only 5% of beekeepers attributed Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) as the major cause * 10

11. Pesticides and Bee Health
In large “multi-factorial” studies in North America and Europe poor bee health correlates well with Varroa/ bee diseases but poorly with exposure to agrochemicals.
Elevated colony losses are NOT occurring in Australia where Varroa is absent
Neonicotinoid (NNC) seed treatments have attracted considerable attention as a possible cause of declining bee health but:
NNCs among the least frequently detected pesticides in US bee hives
Many beekeepers whose bees pollinate agricultural crops treated with NNCs and other agrochemicals report low annual colony losses
Improvements in bee health have not been seen in France following NNC suspension in some crops
Field studies have consistently found no adverse effects on colonies when NNCs are applied properly in the field in contrast to lab and semi- field studies often conducted at exaggerated rates 11

12. Recent Activity Surrounding Pollinators and Neonicotinoids
Media Interest
NGO Petition to suspend clothianidin filed (Mar 20, 2012)
This is a well organized campaign
On-line Campaigns
Highly publicized scientific studies
Bees are still dying. EPA is moving too slowly. Urge Congress to step up

13. Recent Studies of Note – which ones are the media covering?
Planter Seed dust could kill bees but levels exhausted not measured
Krupke et al. [Jan 3, 2012] Multiple Routes of Pesticide Exposure for Honey Bees Living Near Agricultural Fields. PLOS one.
Schneider et al. [Jan 11, 2012] RFID Tracking of Sublethal Effects of Two Neonicotinoid Insecticides on the Foraging Behavior of Apis mellifera. PLOS one
Pettis et al. [Jan 13, 2012] Pesticide exposure in honey bees results in increased levels of the gut pathogen Nosema. Naturwissenschaften
Cresswell et al. [Jan 24, 2012] Dietary traces of neonicotinoid pesticides as a cause of population declines in honey bees: an evaluation by Hill’s epidemiological criteria. Pest Management Science
High doses disorient bees, field levels do not
Nosema infection ↑ in lab, but not in the field
“We conclude that dietary neonicotinoids cannot be implicated in
honey bee declines”

14. Recent Studies of Note – which ones are the media covering?
Many lab studies show effects, but no effects in field studies
Blacqierre et al. [Feb 18, 2012] Neonicotinoids in bees: a review of concentrations, side effects and risk assessment. Ecotoxicology
Szabo et al. [March 19, 2012] Do pathogen spillover, pesticide use, or habitat loss explain recent North American bumblebee declines? Conservation Letters
Henry et al. [March 29, 2012] A Common Pesticide Decreases Foraging Success and Survival in Honey Bees. Sciencexpress
Whitehorn et al. [March 29, 2012] Neonicotinoid Pesticide Reduces Bumble Bee Colony Growth and Queen Production. Sciencexpress
Lu et al. [April 5, 2012] In situ replication of honey bee colony collapse disorder. Bulletin of Insectology
Pathogens (not pesticides) are cause of bumble bee declines
High dose can disorient bees
Low dose in lab resulted in effects
Neonic in corn syrup fed to bees causes CCD [except it really didn’t]

15. EPA’s Position on Clothianidin Petition
…the Agency is “not aware of any data that reasonably demonstrates that bee colonies are subject to elevated losses due to chronic exposure to this pesticide.” (02/18/11)
“...the petition and supporting documentation reviewed by the EPA do not demonstrate a substantial likelihood of imminent, serious harm that would justify the suspension of this pesticide under the FIFRA standard” (07/27/12)
page 15
• Our Commitment to Bee Health • 2011

16. But …… Pollinator health is different from acute bee effects
The whole industry works hard to minimize acute effects
Tools include technological advances, stewardship, education, training, BMPs etc.
Stewardship/BMPs require a lifecycle approach customized for crop, application method (e.g. seed treatment, foliar applied), local conditions etc. 16

17. Solution to Honey Bee Health Crisis
Effective monitoring & diagnosis of colony health
IPM for bee pests particularly Varroa mite
Integrated bee management
Supportive agricultural policies
Open, positive and collaborative stakeholder communication
Science-based risk management for pesticides

18. Science Based Risk Management for Pesticides
Pollinator protection from pesticide use should be achieved via:
A robust science-based risk assessment process to determine the potential risks posed by pesticides
Adoption of the science into a regulatory testing framework
Consistent label language appropriate to crop, application method, and pesticide product, based on the risk assessment
Robust and coordinated stewardship of pesticide products, crops, and managed pollinator populations
Applicator training and grower education programs to ensure use of best management practices that are appropriate to local situations 18

19. Ongoing Activities to Protect Pollinators
2011 SETAC Global Workshop developed expert guidance for quantifying risks to honey and non-Apis bees from pesticides
2011: Pesticide Program Dialog Committee (PPDC) formed the Pollinator Protection Workgroup to build a consensus approach to risk management through labeling, BMPs, enforcement and education amongst multiple stakeholders
Sept 2012: EPA presented its proposed process for quantitatively estimating pesticide risk to insect pollinators to the FIFRA Science Advisory Panel (SAP)
Oct 2012: USDA National Stakeholders Meeting planned to synthesize knowledge about the multiple factors associated with pollinator declines and propose management and research strategies to improve bee health 19

20. Summary
Crop production and honey bees are vital to feeding the growing world population
No single factor is responsible for general honey bee colony losses
The solution to the bee health crisis consists of many parts and many stakeholders
The safe use of pesticides is dependent on a robust, science based approach to risk management
The process to improve bee health is ongoing and needs time to be implemented in an open and transparent process 20