by Ben Hope
On Facebook recently I saw a photo of a field of dandelions and wildflowers in Hawkes Bay with the sobering comment, “But where are the bees?”
I’ve wondered that myself here in the South island where there is a domination of vineyards and a comparative absence of bees to pollinate the vegetable and flower garden. You see vineyards or horticulture and chemicals may be the prime suspect in the case of the absence of bees.
Several years ago, the UK’s “Guardian’s” noted columnist George Monbiot, a British writer and author well known for his “environmental and political activism “ said the scale and speed of environmental collapse is beyond imagination”.
Back then a report said a new scientific study has found “dramatic” and “alarming” declines in insect populations in areas in Germany, which university researchers say could have far-reaching consequences for the world’s crop production and natural ecosystems.
What of New Zealand? Are we dowsing an environment with a unprecedented mixture of chemicals? Household effluent contains bleaches and detergents that did not exist forty years ago. Are we dumping upon the environment via urban waste-water systems and widespread spraying of the country-side with agri-chemicals and insecticides and pesticides, a “cocktail of chemicals” of unprecedented volume and variety?
Agrichemicals
Here in Kiwi Land, the late Wairarapa conservationist Bill Benfield and author of two startling books “The Third Wave” and “At War with Nature”, (Tross Publishing) said understandably farming practices have sought greater efficiencies and production.
“Greater use has been made of agrichemicals, including insecticides, herbicides and fungicides. Among the insecticides is the DDT substitute diazinon which is aerially sprayed on the land for grass grub. Although banned in the EU, its use is un-restricted in New Zealand.”
Diazinon is “lethal to aquatic life.”
In May 2012 dead mallard ducks were found on a Landcorp farm at Cape Foulwind, West Coast, after 1500 hectares were sprayed with diazinon. An autopsy found the ducks to be poisoned by the organophosphate.
Then there is 1080. “Ecosystem poisons, such as the metabolic poison 1080 are aerially dropped on wilderness public lands” said Bill Benfield.
What’s the scientific verdict? Unfortunately the integrity of science has been undermined by a system of commissioned, paid science – in short money motivation he says. Some scientists have spoken out.
“The fury that descends on any scientist who steps out of line will ensure that their career and reputation will be in tatters. Few do,” says Bill Benfield.
Science has to a degree, been corrupted.
Science Distorted
George Monbiot in his column, described how in the distorted funding of science there is no end of money for finding out how to kill insects, but almost none for finding out the consequences.
There’s an ironic twist to it too. In New Zealand, said Bill Benfield, eco-piety is expressed by riding a bicycle or driving hybrid cars, perhaps shopping at organic farmers markets yet the same people may campaign for even more 1080 chemical poisoning of “pests” and the fast disappearing invertebrates and bird life of the wilderness.
1080 was first patented as an insecticide in the 1920s
One new chemical used extensively in vineyards is Karate, lethal to any insect, good such as bees or bad such as grass grub in human judgement. It is lethal to aquatic life too. So where is Fish and Game? Where is the Department of Conservation.?
AWOL.
And yes – where are the bees?
The late Bill Benfield – science corrupted
What a loss when Bill passed. All of Ben Hopes points are based on genuine research. The article deserves wider circulation.
Sadly, New Zealand has a love affair with chemicals.
When we, the people, decided to maintain a democratic system of government .. the intention was that they would use public resources to inform and make decisions in everybody’s best interests.
There was never an intention they would sanction the setting up and maintaining of a system that would wreak such havoc on our environment.
Studies have estimated a 75% reduction in global insect biomass, over the past 30 years.
Of course, bees .. which forage on agricultural crops .. are amongst the insects bang smack in the firing line.
Their demise is inevitable.
The irony is that many vegetarians believe they are saving the environment!
And then there’s Aerial 1080 .. nothing more, or less, than state-sponsored ecocide.
New Zealand needs to take a good, hard, long look at itself.
We like to lead the world.
All too often, our leadership falls within the realm of precisely what *not* to do.
There is every likelihood that that chemicals can devastate not merely insect life but all life.
A woman told me that not long after her husband became a contract chemical sprayer, her house plants died.
Why are our politicians so incredibly stupid, allowing all this? Yesterday I saw a roadside truck spraying the grass and wild flowers that bees visit, along the lane near us.Why?
There’s also a lovely green her b(have forgotten its name -probably fennel ) along the side State highway 6 .They spray thisi and leave it still standing, dead.
It looked a lot better green and living. Wasteful, costly and stupid.
Of course it can. Here in Marlborough we never wash our windscteens due to bug splatter. When vineyards increased so did all the toxins and the insects disappeared.
It doesn’t take science to know these facts. It just takes local knowledge