Archive for March 3rd, 2014
Bees
It started with the stunningly small population of Monarch butterflies returning to Mission San Juan Capistrano.
Then came more information on the massive meat recall and shut-down of Rancho Feeding Corporation in Petaluma. Followed by a KRON4 News report on the hundreds of foods that contain azodicarbonamide or ADA, a chemical found in Yoga mats and tires. (You can check out the list at KRON4.com).
Then a guided tour through the wonders of Whole Foods (an establishment I have eschewed) and it’s gorgeous organic offerings; coupled with my wish to replace my lawn with natural habitat, all lead me to bees and CCD, Colony Collapse Disorder. There is real, immediate reason for concern as three of every five bites of food we eat is courtesy of these busy pollinators.
The common thread: pesticides and herbicides. Regarding bees, scientists are looking at neonicotinoids, a relatively new class of pesticides. According to The Huffington Post (March 2013) 40-50% of commercial US Hives have been lost due to CCD. With the magnificent Monarchs, herbicides and habitat destruction, including the use of Roundup to eradicate milkweed which is essential to their survival, growth of GMOs and destruction of native forests in Mexico, are all considered causal.
I will be planting milkweed in my garden along with bee and butterfly friendly flowers. Visits to Whole Foods will become more frequent. I will be more diligent reading labels and avoiding refined foods, especially bread products (Oroweat and Saralee are on that list containing ADA).
Lastly, I will, to the best of my ability, patronize local organic and sustainable farms, and back legislation directed toward supporting them and protecting our food supplies. I invite you to join me.