Food industry killing the bees

Anyone who likes watermelon, strawberries or tomatoes or any of the list that include one-third of all foods we enjoy thanks to bees, we must thank Jan Riggenbach for mentioning the plight of these creatures in her Home & Garden article.

Eaters are just happy their food magically appears for their purchase. They forget that location should naturally dictate their choices, but for the industrialized food industry.

Few people are aware how fatally dependent they are on food and creatures and ecosystems that symbiotically work together to provide it. They give no more thought to those associations than to the skin that holds their beings together. That is, until they cannot satisfy the body’s demand for life sustaining nourishment, when starvation or illness becomes uncomfortable.

The bee’s plight directly relates to a gluttonous production and consumption cycle active for the most fortunate segments of the world. Include the grand human experiment of blending genetically modified foods into the American food systems, and these two realities unite as a fatal blow for the bees. It may result in the only fruits and vegetables available to Americans coming from European Union members. The EU figured out why the bees were suffering and made effective changes to save them.

Neonicotinoids, a cash-cow chemical but a potion of death for the bees, has been the focus of the greater body of research, particularly of those focused on saving the bees. The EPA and the chemical companies have this information; however, the profits are too delicious to do anything about it.

Before we give up our favorite fruits and vegetables, for the sake of greedy industry profits and corrupt government agencies, consumers should learn who is killing the bees and why, and then take the necessary actions to protect their food.

Gail Talbot

Huntley