Dear friends,
Our bees are in danger again.
Toxic chemical companies are trying to get their banned pesticides back on UK fields.
The UK government are currently considering an application to lift the ban on bee-killing chemicals for some crops planted this autumn. [1]
Please can you sign the petition right now demanding that we keep the ban on bee-killing pesticides?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/keep-the-ban
The powerful pesticides which Europe banned last year are called neonicotinoids – and they pose a huge risk to bees. Last month an influential group of scientists concluded that these banned pesticides don’t just kill bees, they wreak “havoc” with other insects and plants in the countryside too. [2]
A huge petition will make it clear to the environment minister, Liz Truss, that she still needs to protect our bees, not the toxic profits of bee-killing chemical companies.
Please add your name to the petition now.
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/keep-the-ban
Thanks, I hope you can be involved.
PS: Bees pollinate apples, cucumbers, strawberries, tomatoes, cauliflowers, onions, cabbages, broccoli, carrots and many, many more of our fruit and veg.
Without bees, we wouldn’t last very long!
So please help stop this new threat to their survival – sign the petition now:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/keep-the-ban
NOTES
[1] Farmers Weekly: Time running out for neonicotinoid decision:
http://www.fwi.co.uk/arable/time-running-neonicotinoid-decision.htm
Farmers Weekly: NFU confirms bid for neonics ban exemption:
http://www.fwi.co.uk/news/nfu-confirms-bid-for-neonics-ban-exemption.html
The 2-year EU-wide temporary ban was effective from December 2013, and will be reviewed later this year. The government can overturn the ban in ‘emergency’ circumstances – chemical company Syngenta sought to do this last year.
The Independent: ‘Victory for bees’ as European Union bans neonicotinoid pesticides blamed for destroying bee population:
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/victory-for-bees-as-european-union-bans-neonicotinoid-pesticides-blamed-for-destroying-bee-population-8595408.html
The Guardian: Syngenta seeks ‘emergency’ exemption to use banned insecticide on UK crops:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/25/syngenta-exemption-neonicotinoid-insecticide-ban-oilseed-rape
[2] New York Times: Pesticides linked to honeybee deaths pose more risks, European group says:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/09/business/energy-environment/pesticides-probably-more-harmful-than-previously-thought-scientist-group-warns.html
You can read more about some of our friends’ campaigns to protect our bees here: Bug life: Saving the small things that run the planet:
https://www.buglife.org.uk/
Friends of the Earth: The Bee Cause:
https://www.foe.co.uk/what_we_do/the_bee_cause_home_map_39371/
Liz Truss will take questions from other MPs about her areas of ministerial responsibility (environment, food and rural affairs) for the first time under this government on Thursday 18 June. Parliament UK Website:
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-table-office/order-of-oral-questions1.pdf
Thanks – Mark – This is very important
– bees are little folk, but they are a vital cog in the machine !
We have always tried to help bees.
A few years ago we made a large ‘Bee Hotel’ (as we called it) to encourage bees to produce new offspring using our special facility. The hotel was made from old logs; every one drilled out many, many times to make individual tunnels or chambers into which a bee could enter and lay an egg. Different sized chamber holes were drilled for the many different bees we hoped would pay us a visit. The adult Bee when had entered the chamber and laid an egg then left some food inside the chamber for the youngster when it hatched; and the entrance was sealed up by the adult after egg lay with mud. When it was ready, the youngster broke its way out of the chamber by smashing away at the mud – then it was ready to fly off and pollinate all the plants and trees.
As you can see from the pictures, ours was quite large; but it became very busy and “buzzing with activity” (I know, terrible pun) within a few days, and it has been used continually over the last few years by thousands of bees since its conception. It took lots of time to cut the logs to a rough length and to spend hours (many hours !) drilling out all the individual (egg) chambers into each log; but when we finished and saw the results; which was thousands of new visitors to our ‘Hotel’; we both agreed that it was a job well worth doing.
To give an idea of the size, you can see Denise and myself standing by the hotel on the day we finally set it all up after many weeks of preparation; ready for the grand opening ! – and a sunny day in England – Wow Bonus !!!.
Some of the other views will give you an idea of what the project involved.
Why not try to build one yourself and encourage more bees into your patch.
Regards Mark and Denise.
I am the bad looking one on the right getting over a busted right hand.
All the logs in place ready for the opening
Above – different sized chambers for the many different sized bees.
Happy Bees – That’s What We Want !
Please sign the petition (link given above)
and help protect the little guys – Thanks.
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