Presented by Iain Kelly On Behalf of CropLife America Pollinator Issue Management Team Pollinators: Pesticides, Science & Public Policy NASDA Natural Resources, Pesticide Management and Environment Committee, September 14,

The Questions  How serious is the decline in pollinator health?  What are the causes of declining pollinator health?  Do pesticides have a role in declining pollinator health?  What are the solutions to declining pollinator health?  How do we protect pollinators in agricultural settings? 2

Honey Bees: The Sparkplug of Agriculture  Number of species of bees = 20,000+  Number of species of of Apis = 7  Number of subspecies of A. mellifera = 28  Brought to North America early 1600s  Subject to global movement  Will focus today’s talk on the honey bee as the representative species with the largest dataset 3

* approx. 50 % of crop area worldwide - Source: Oerke et al., 1995 / Yudelman et al., 1998 Need for Crop Protection Products and Pollinators Average yield losses without crop protection (rice, wheat, barley, corn, potatoes, soybeans, cotton, coffee*) Sustainable agriculture requires efficient pollination services and responsible use of pesticides 4 * *Gallai et al % pollinators Economic contribution of pollinators to food crop production

No! Change in data recording Fewer beekeepers Imported honey Shift to pollination services Is this indicative of declining honey bee health?

The U.S. Honey Bee Industry is Changing Previously: Honey and Hive Products Increasingly: Pollination Services Almond pollination require approximately 1.6 million of the 2.6 million colonies in the U.S. and is a driver of the number of colonies 6

Bee Colonies Worldwide Central America Northern America Africa Oceania Europe Asia South America Data source: FAOSTAT ( Trend in Beehives Numbers Across Continents 7

Status of Honey Bee Health  Is honey bee health declining? - YES!  Historical winter losses = %  Current average reported losses = %  Losses up to 100% in some apiaries  Almost all colonies are showing health issues  Is this a global issue?  More significant in Northern Hemisphere  Southern Hemisphere less so  Australia (no Varroa mite)  Africa: Africanized honey bees And 2011/2012? 21.9% 8

Multiple & Various Causative Agents Bacteria Viruses Fungi Pests and predators Factors Affecting Bee Health Mites FL  CA  FL  PA  ME  NY  PA  FL Hive management Food & water Toxins (inc. pesticides) Weather &Shelter Varroacide resistance 9

Bee Declines: The Beekeepers View Honey Bee Colony Losses in the U.S., winter * (2010 – 2011 results similar) Responding beekeepers attributed their losses to  Starvation 32%  Weather29%  Weak colonies in the Fall14%  Mites 12%  Poor queens10%  Only 5% of beekeepers attributed Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) as the major cause * 10

In large “multi-factorial” studies in North America and Europe poor bee health correlates well with Varroa/ bee diseases but poorly with exposure to agrochemicals. Elevated colony losses are NOT occurring in Australia where Varroa is absent Neonicotinoid (NNC) seed treatments have attracted considerable attention as a possible cause of declining bee health but:  NNCs among the least frequently detected pesticides in US bee hives  Many beekeepers whose bees pollinate agricultural crops treated with NNCs and other agrochemicals report low annual colony losses  Improvements in bee health have not been seen in France following NNC suspension in some crops  Field studies have consistently found no adverse effects on colonies when NNCs are applied properly in the field in contrast to lab and semi- field studies often conducted at exaggerated rates Pesticides and Bee Health 11

Recent Activity Surrounding Pollinators and Neonicotinoids NGO Petition to suspend clothianidin filed (Mar 20, 2012) Highly publicized scientific studies On-line Campaigns Media Interest Bees are still dying. EPA is moving too slowly. Urge Congress to step up This is a well organized campaign

Recent Studies of Note – which ones are the media covering? Krupke et al. [Jan 3, 2012] Multiple Routes of Pesticide Exposure for Honey Bees Living Near Agricultural Fields. PLOS one. Schneider et al. [Jan 11, 2012] RFID Tracking of Sublethal Effects of Two Neonicotinoid Insecticides on the Foraging Behavior of Apis mellifera. PLOS one Pettis et al. [Jan 13, 2012] Pesticide exposure in honey bees results in increased levels of the gut pathogen Nosema. Naturwissenschaften Cresswell et al. [Jan 24, 2012] Dietary traces of neonicotinoid pesticides as a cause of population declines in honey bees: an evaluation by Hill’s epidemiological criteria. Pest Management Science 13 Planter Seed dust could kill bees but levels exhausted not measured High doses disorient bees, field levels do not Nosema infection ↑ in lab, but not in the field “We conclude that dietary neonicotinoids cannot be implicated in honey bee declines”

Recent Studies of Note – which ones are the media covering? Blacqierre et al. [Feb 18, 2012] Neonicotinoids in bees: a review of concentrations, side effects and risk assessment. Ecotoxicology Szabo et al. [March 19, 2012] Do pathogen spillover, pesticide use, or habitat loss explain recent North American bumblebee declines? Conservation Letters Henry et al. [March 29, 2012] A Common Pesticide Decreases Foraging Success and Survival in Honey Bees. Sciencexpress Whitehorn et al. [March 29, 2012] Neonicotinoid Pesticide Reduces Bumble Bee Colony Growth and Queen Production. Sciencexpress Lu et al. [April 5, 2012] In situ replication of honey bee colony collapse disorder. Bulletin of Insectology 14 Many lab studies show effects, but no effects in field studies Pathogens (not pesticides) are cause of bumble bee declines High dose can disorient bees Low dose in lab resulted in effects Neonic in corn syrup fed to bees causes CCD [except it really didn’t]

EPA’s Position on Clothianidin Petition …the Agency is “not aware of any data that reasonably demonstrates that bee colonies are subject to elevated losses due to chronic exposure to this pesticide.” (02/18/11) “...the petition and supporting documentation reviewed by the EPA do not demonstrate a substantial likelihood of imminent, serious harm that would justify the suspension of this pesticide under the FIFRA standard” (07/27/12) page 15 Our Commitment to Bee Health 2011

Pollinator health is different from acute bee effects The whole industry works hard to minimize acute effects Tools include technological advances, stewardship, education, training, BMPs etc. Stewardship/BMPs require a lifecycle approach customized for crop, application method (e.g. seed treatment, foliar applied), local conditions etc. But …… 16

Solution to Honey Bee Health Crisis 17 Effective monitoring & diagnosis of colony health IPM for bee pests particularly Varroa mite Integrated bee management Supportive agricultural policies Open, positive and collaborative stakeholder communication Science-based risk management for pesticides

Science Based Risk Management for Pesticides Pollinator protection from pesticide use should be achieved via:  A robust science-based risk assessment process to determine the potential risks posed by pesticides  Adoption of the science into a regulatory testing framework  Consistent label language appropriate to crop, application method, and pesticide product, based on the risk assessment  Robust and coordinated stewardship of pesticide products, crops, and managed pollinator populations  Applicator training and grower education programs to ensure use of best management practices that are appropriate to local situations 18

2011 SETAC Global Workshop developed expert guidance for quantifying risks to honey and non-Apis bees from pesticides 2011: Pesticide Program Dialog Committee (PPDC) formed the Pollinator Protection Workgroup to build a consensus approach to risk management through labeling, BMPs, enforcement and education amongst multiple stakeholders Sept 2012: EPA presented its proposed process for quantitatively estimating pesticide risk to insect pollinators to the FIFRA Science Advisory Panel (SAP) Oct 2012: USDA National Stakeholders Meeting planned to synthesize knowledge about the multiple factors associated with pollinator declines and propose management and research strategies to improve bee health Ongoing Activities to Protect Pollinators 19

Summary Crop production and honey bees are vital to feeding the growing world population No single factor is responsible for general honey bee colony losses The solution to the bee health crisis consists of many parts and many stakeholders The safe use of pesticides is dependent on a robust, science based approach to risk management The process to improve bee health is ongoing and needs time to be implemented in an open and transparent process 20