Yesterday, The Environmental Protection Agency astounded the beekeeping community by announcing that it would not respond to a legal petition filed this past April calling for, among other things, the suspension of the neonicotinoid, Clothianidin.

The beekeeping community is outraged and perplexed as to how they can invoke change, especially if their legal demands for reform are completely ignored. According to the Apiary Inspectors of America, the unsustainable honeybee losses in the USA have reached 30-33 percent.  However, according to the working beekeeping community, annual losses are well over 50 percent, with many operations experiencing up to 100 percent turnover.

In this special series called The Neonicotinoid View, host, June Stoyer, will be joined by special guest host, beekeeper, Tom Theobald to discuss this decision with Steve Ellis, secretary of the National Honeybee Advisory Board (NHAB). Mr. Ellis has been involved in pesticide issues for the past 15 years and has been a beekeeper for 32 years. Mr. Ellis has 2300 colonies which he operates for honey production and pollination for crops in California. He is a graduate of the University of Washington and resides in Barrett, MN. Stay tuned!