Bristol County beekeepers await answers as US, state officials look into drop in pollinators

[unhappycamper]

http://www.tauntongazette.com/article/20141002/NEWS/141009208/1994/NEWS

Bristol County beekeepers await answers as US, state officials look into drop in pollinators

DIGHTON — The state’s already investigating Dan Wilbur’s dead honeybees. The buzz about his ailing hive has also drawn the attention of federal investigators.

“US EPA headquarters is engaged with beekeepers in the Dighton area of Massachusetts regarding reports of bee kills,” according to a statement provided by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman Catherine C. Milbourn.

An investigator with the agency’s Office of Pesticide Programs contacted Wilbur last week after reading news reports detailing the loss of hundreds, possibly thousands, of bees from his backyard hive.

~snip~

The “bee kill” on Wilbur’s property is just one of several similar decimated hives reported across Bristol County and Rhode Island.

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Another article in today's Taunton Gazette sez :

The results came back positive for poisoning by Lannate, a chemical commonly used as a pesticide on corn.

Not being a chemist I looked up Lannate in wikipedia and see stuff like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lannate

Methomyl

Methomyl is a carbamate insecticide. It was introduced in 1966, but its use is restricted because of its high toxicity to humans.[3] Its current primary use is on alfalfa for forage.[4] The EU and UK have imposed these restrictions by allowing a maximum pesticide residue limit of 0.02 mg/kg for apples and oranges.[citation needed] 0.02 mg/kg is the limit of detection.

It has been found in residues on vegetables and spices in Thailand exceeding safety standards in 2012, due to not being listed on the Dangerous Substances Act, along with carbofuran, dicrotophos and EPN.[5]

Methomyl is the active ingredient in commercial fly bait granules which are mixed with a cola drink to kill bothersome raccoon, skunk and opossum. Using methomyl in this "off-label" way may be against the law in some of the United States.



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I took a look at Roundup but did not see 'Methomyl' in the article. Any chemists out there??