Dear Mr. President, please help our bees!

Bees are a big deal. I don't want to over exaggerate, but they are basically the glue that holds are ecosystem system together. It's not news to anyone that the rapid decline in the honey bee population is now a global epidemic, the population has been dropping by a third each year since 2007, and while other foreign institutions are acknowledging the issue and passing laws banning certain pesticides linked to bee death the U.S is slow in its reaction. 

New Studies Link Colony Collapse Disorder to Pesticides

Neonicotinoids (or neonics) have again been implicated in three new studies about the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
Over a million bee colonies disappear every year, leaving behind only a few unhealthy bees and the queen in the hive.  The link to neonicotinoids has been highlighted before, but the chemicals are now more closely linked to the bee deaths while reduction in habitat is a lesser factor.
Tom Philpott's article "3 New Studies Link bee Decline to Bayer Pesticide" for Mother Jones lays out the evidence that bees are mostly affected by the neonics pesticides used for corn.  The pesticides are not only applied to plants on a broad scale, but most of the United States' 94 million acres of corn (over 142 million acres including other crops) will be planted with seeds treated with neonic pesticides. Philpott points out that the findings will pressure the EPA to reconsider its registration of the pesticides based on a study carried out by the same chemical company that makes the pesticides (Bayer).  The EPA later found that the Bayer study was not satisfactory in proving that honeybees were safe.  Philpott links to an EPA memo which questions the study:

". . . after another review of this field study in light of additional information, deficiencies were identified that render the study supplemental . . . another field study is needed to evaluate the effects of clothianidin on bees through contaminated pollen and nectar.  Exposure through contaminated pollen and nectar  and potential toxic effects therefore remain an uncertainty for pollinators"

Heather Pilatic, Co-director of the Pesticide Action Network in North America weighs in on the evidence in the Huffington Post Blog.  She highlights that the neonics cause a variety of health problems for bees: low-level exposure can make bees more susceptible to infection, impair memory and learning, disrupt foraging and homing abilities, and can cause an 85% reduction in the number of queens produced. A single flight over freshly-sown corn fields can result in enough exposure that bees die right away.

This Reuters article, by Richard Schiffman highlights that bee farming has also become, to some degree, industrialized.  The bees are fed high-fructose corn syrup (made from corn treated with neonics) and queens are artificially inseminated resulting in a decline in genetic diversity among honey bees.

As you probably know, most of the food that humans rely on is pollinated by wild pollinators and honey bees (wild pollinators, like bumble bees, are having the same population reduction as honeybees).  And we are in serious trouble if wild bees go extinct, and we continue to lose a third (or more!) of commercial honey bees each year.

An important note for homeowners: most pesticides for garden and lawn use contain the chemicals that are harmful to bees.  For the bees sake (if not for your own, for your pets, and for your environment), it is important to cut out the pesticides.  Even trace amounts are fatal to bees. The best neighbors are the ones that plant flowers that feed bees, and cut the chemicals that harm them!

Best,
Kristiane

You can Help the Honeybee!

Since 2006, Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has been killing honeybees at an alarming rate.  According to USDA, beekeepers have been losing an average 30% of their honey bee colonies each year since 2006, and little has been done on the federal level to prevent further losses.  Although it is a commonly held belief that the causes of CCD are a complete mystery, there are actually many known causes of the disorder which often link the situation to certain systemic pesticides.

Government policy might be stuck when it comes to dealing with this problem, but that doesn't mean you need to be stuck too.  You can help honeybees at home and in your community using this bee protecting toolkit.  The Honey Bee Toolkit provides action items to promote a safe space at your home for honeybees to gather food and perform essential pollinating duties, and for educating and rallying others in your community to affect change on a larger scale.  Here are some examples of what is listed in the Toolkit:

Write an OpEd or letter to the editor
Short of face to face visits with politicians, getting into the habit of writing to your editor is one of the most effective things you can do.

According to a study by Pew, Americans are spending more time following the news today than over much of the past decade.  Newspapers, while in decline, are still authoritative; this is where most Americans still get their knowledge of public affairs.

OpEd columns and letters to the editor give you the opportunity to communicate directly to the public, including influential decision-makers, and to shape or frame a debate in your own words.

One well placed OpEd or Letter to the Editor can make a decisionmaker think again.  Take 15 minutes to change the conversation

The toolkit then goes on to detail how to properly draft a letter or OpEd and successfully submit it to a news provider.  Another community-based example reads:

Host a film screening
Invite neighbors and friends over for a film screening at your house, or coordinate a film screening at your local community center.  Not sure what to watch?  Here are some suggestions:
The Vanishing of the Bees (2011)
Queen of the Sun (2011)
Colony (2009)
Nature:Silence of the Bees (2008)

And for those who would like to help out on their property at home, there are native plant lists and tips for building a bee haven in your yard or around your home.  There is also a section devoted to introductory beekeeping if you want to take the next step into colony ownership!

Check out the toolkit here.

 Have a wonderful week!

-Melissa

It's Almost Summer Farmers Market Season!

As you know from our Winter Food Project, farmers markets aren't just a harvest-time occurrence.  They happen year-round across the state, and a whole host of them will be opening up in May and June and run through the fall.  A listing of the markets where our members sell goods can be found on our website, and you can also view a complete listing of markets on the Department of Agriculture website.

And don't forget, markets don't just sell produce!  You can often use a farmers market as a one-stop shop for all your grocery needs, from delicious fresh fruits and vegetables, to meat, seafood, dairy, sweets, coffee, baked goods, prepared foods, and even some inedible items like wool, beeswax, and crafts.  Give your local market a phone call or check out their website to learn more about their vendors.  Going to a market is a wonderful way to get your grocery shopping done while having a great time and heading home with the freshest goods available!

CT NOFA will be tabling at many upcoming markets this spring through fall.  Check out our website and sign up for our Gleanings eNewsletter to receive regular updates on where we will be and when.  For now, however, here is where we are confirmed so far:

Ellington Farmers Market
Saturday May 12, 2012
9:00-12:00pm
Arbor Park on Route #286/ Main Street
Ellington, CT

Downtown Milford Farmers Market
Saturday July 7, 2012
9:00-1:00pm
58 River Street
Milford, CT

Manchester - CCC Farmer's Market
Thursday August 9, 2012
3:00-6:00pm
35 Oakland Street
Manchester, CT

Higganum Village Farmers Market (tentative)
Friday August 10, 2012
3:30-6:30pm
Higganum Green (intersection of Routes 154 and 81)
Higganum, CT

Stay tuned for more and have a great afternoon!
-Melissa

Plant for Pollinators!

Blackberry provides food for you and for bees!

Coneflower

Organic management of a garden or yard naturally encourages pollinators to thrive in your yard.  Planting native flowers that encourage pollinator activity allows your yard to contribute to the local ecosystem, while also using ecosystem services to improve the quality of your yard.

1. For a guide to how to choose and group plants for all different types of pollinators, check out "Selecting Plants for Pollinators: Eastern Broadleaf Forest", a publication from the Pollinator Partnership and North American pollinator Protection Campaign.  This guide includes information on how to support the pollinators most of us forget about including moths, beetles, flies and wind.  The guide also mentions bats, which do not act as pollinators in the Northeast (though they offer numerous other invaluable ecosystem services), but they are vital pollinators in warmer areas in the Southeastern US and much of the tropics.
2. Review this list of non-native flowers that grow well in Connecticut that attract butterflies compiled by the NRCS
3. Pay attention to the season when these flowers bloom, be sure to choose flowers that bloom in all different times throughout the spring, summer and fall (which also means your garden will be consistently beautiful through these seasons). Observe when most of the flowers in your garden bloom and consider which seasonal gaps need to be filled.
4. You should also get to know our native pollinator bees a little better.  They might not make honey, but they have supported the breeding and reproduction of Connecticut's plant-life for thousands of years before European honeybees came to the United States.You can support native bees using plants from this list published by the Xerxes Society (yes, the plants on these lists do overlap quite a bit - that makes it easier for you!)
5. Never (ever) use pesticides: Recent studies carried out in the UK, France and in the US by the Harvard School of Public Health tied pesticides, especially neonicotinoids to Colony Collapse Disorder.  While a number of scientists have taken issue with the study, it seems like we should use the precautionary principle and not risk the health of our region's valuable pollinators.  These chemicals are also thought to be quite harmful for hummingbirds.



Bee Balm or Monarda

6. For information on how to attract hummingbirds to your yard, check out this blog post from a couple years ago by one of the NOFA Organic Land Care Program's Accredited Professionals, Debbie Roberts - "A Hummingbird Cafe" and this list of flowers that attract hummingbirds.  Remember to try and choose natives!

Happy planting (and pollinating!)
Best,
Kristiane

Make Your Yard a Honey Bee Haven! - Take the Pledge

You can take a pledge to maintain your yard in a way that creates habitat and food for bees.  This is pretty important, because by acting as vital pollinators - bees create food and habitat for lots of things! Here is the text from honeybeehaven.org explaining the program and how you can be a part of this honey bee network:

Bees are responsible for pollinating one in three bites of food we eat...and they're in trouble. Since the mid-1990s, they've been dying off in droves around the world. Colonies have been mysteriously collapsing with adult bees disappearing, seemingly abandoning their hives.

This phenomenon — known as Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD — is likely caused by a variety of interacting factors, including pathogens, loss of habitat and increased exposure to systemic and other pesticides.

Policymakers have yet to make pollinator health a top priority, and current regulations don't provide adequate protection for bees. But a groundswell of concerned citizens, gardeners and beekeepers is building to protect bees.

Join the movement! Take the pledge to provide a honey bee haven with access to pesticide-free food, shelter and water. It doesn't take much space — a few containers of the right kinds of plants tucked into your garden, on a balcony or front stoop, will get you started.

Guiding Principles:

1. Protect bees from pesticides. Pesticides kill beneficial insects including pollinators and natural enemies that control common pests like aphids. Certain pesticides, including neonicotinoids, are highly toxic to honey bees in particular. Instead of using pesticides, explore organic ways to grow healthy plants, such as using compost for healthy soil and controlling pests with homemade remedies and biocontrols like ladybugs.
    
2. Provide a variety of food for bees. Consider clustered plantings with staggered blooming times so there is food throughout the year and particularly in the late summer and fall. Native plants are always best, and inter-planting and hedgerows provide additional forage on farms. Mix cloverseed in with the grass of your lawn so bees can benefit from clover flowers (while the clover fixes nitrogen in your soil!)
    
3. Provide a year-round, clean source of water for bees. This can be a river, pond, irrigation system, rainwater collection system or small-scale garden water features. Shallow water sources can provide more than enough water for bees, without creating opportunities for mosquitoes to breed.
    
4. Provide shelter for bees. Leave some ground undisturbed and untilled and some dead trees and plants on the property for wild bees to nest in.

Sign The Pledge Here!