Why professionals not responsible for bee colony collapse disorder, In the United States agriculture pumps an estimated 877 million pounds of pesticides into the ground contaminating groundwater lakes, streams air and food through the constant spraying of crops. Approximately 50% of the pesticides applied to crops are herbicides to control weeds in crops the rest are plant growth regulators, insecticides, miticides and fungicides.
Live Bee Pollinating
Professionals not responsible for bee colony collapse disorder
Source: http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-practices-management/chemical-inputs/pesticide-use-markets.aspx
In fruit and nut production all the trees have to be sprayed with insecticides and fungicides to protect the trees on a regular basis. Bee keepers rent out be hives for pollination of theses trees and when they are sprayed the bees have not returned to there hive many die in the groves others that make it back might bee contaminated and kill the colony.
The EPA estimates that 70 million pounds of the pesticides applied to residential properties every year, of which 80% to 90% are applied by homeowners with no training in pesticide application, personal protection, insect biology, pesticide modes of action, fate of pesticide in the environment, effects on beneficials and pollinators, vertebrates and fish, wind drift, leaching, vertical movement, point source pollution, the fate of the pesticide in the body.
Much of the unused product is flushed down drains and storm drains, the containers and unused products are improperly disposed of in their garbage contaminating landfills. Most of this is due to ignorance of pesticides and their uses, because many homeowners think these product are harmless and watered down. All this is required training for any pest control professional before they are even allowed to hold a can of pesticide much less be allowed to apply it.
Source: http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/npdes/swbmp/Pest-Control.cfm
Most homeowners have never read the label to mix and apply the product correctly at the adequate rates, these are violations for which a pest control professional would be fined for and possibly imprisoned if we committed them.
Source:http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/emon/surfwtr/contracts/sdcrk.pdf
In 2013 slightly more than 10% of US households used a professional pest control service. Source: https://www.pctonline.com/article/SPC-2014-pest-control-market-report
Landscapers are also guilty of the making mistakes when applying pesticides mostly herbicides and some are applying illegally without the required licensing and insurance, putting themselves and other at risk.
When you add up the pounds of active pesticide ingredients that pest control professionals apply to the environment it adds up to less than 1% of all the pesticides applied and yet we are the poster children for the pesticide industry why because the only encounter most of society has with pesticides is the hardware store and the professional pest control company truck they see on the road.
Other natural phenomenons like nosema fungi and parasites such as Varroa mites have contributed to Colony Collapse Disorder.
Most of us contribute the protection and rescue of bees by applying pesticides correctly and performing live bee removal that removes bees that can de a health hazard to humans and relocate them to bee farms.
This is why pest control professionals not responsible for colony collapse disorder or environmental calamities associated with pesticides.
For more information on bee protection and Colonay Colaps Disorder visit http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=15572
