Green Party launches Save the Bees petition to back its latest strategy
Hobby beekeeper Moira Tilling collecting signatures for the Save the Bees petition which closes on 31 May. Photo: Ina Holst,
The Green Party has launched a 10-year bee strategy aimed at preventing the collapse of bee colonies and is circulating a public petition in its support.
The Greens are urging the Government to suspend approvals for the use of insecticides linked to bee deaths around the world until those chemicals have been reassessed by the Environmental Risk Management Authority.
Ligar Bay resident and hobby beekeeper Moira Tilling spent a few hours on Tuesday collecting signatures to support the Green Party Save the Bees petition, which closes on 31 May.
Overall Moira had a positive response to the petition.
“Lots of people stopped to talk about bees,” she said. “I have three hives myself for pollinating my fruit trees and vegetables. My bees also travel a long way and pollinate other people’s garden in the valley. This campaining is to save the bees.”
In order to get a clearer picture on the state of New Zealand bees, Green Party co-leader Sue Kedgley said her party was also asking the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to survey bee populations each year to see whether they are declining. She said she was pleased the NZ Beekeepers Association was about to do its first survey, as none had yet been done. The suspected causes of bee colony collapse overseas are parasites, genetically modified crops and pesticides, and so far there is no cure or change in sight.
The Greens’ strategy also opposes the import of honey and bee products that could introduce new bee diseases into New Zealand, and requests government funding for research into bee diseases and parasites such as varroa.
Ms Kedgley explained that new-generation pesticides used to protect grass seed from grass grubs were also being blamed for the bee deaths as their neonicotinoid constituents are neurotoxins that interfere with honeybees’ abilities to find their way back to the hive.
Ms Kedgley, who is promoting bee-friendly plants in agriculture, said that farmers reliant on bees for crop pollination, have been horrified to discover their grass seed was coated in this bee-toxic chemical.
France has strictly regulated the use of neonicotinoids since 1999, and in 2008 Germany banned eight neonicotinoids.
The Green Party is also opposing the import of Australian honey into New Zealand as it could bring additional bee diseases here, including Israeli acute paralysis virus, Ms Kedgley added.
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New Zealand bee products are in high demand worldwide. The National Beekeepers Association states that New Zealand produces some 12,375 tonnes of honey annually. Almost half of it is exported, accounting to over $71 million, including $4m of premium organic honey.
Roughly one-third of everything we eat is pollinated by bees, necessitating up to 88,000 hives nationwide.
The number of beekeepers has declined dramatically during the past 10 years. At this stage, about 2600 New Zealanders keep bees, with the 287 biggest beekeepers managing 96 per cent of registered hives. Nearly all beekeepers in the North Island, and more than half in the South Island, provide hives for pollination. Golden Bay currently has five resident beekeepers.
There was a surge of enthusiasm for hobby beekeeping sweeping the country, said local beekeeper Frazer Wilson.
“We are facing interesting times, and the more people we can get to look after the bees the better. I did a whole day for hobby beekeepers at last year’s beekeeper’s conference in Nelson and there is quite a bit of interest,” he said. Bee Week starts on 30 May, and Frazer will assist Sue Kedgley with its launch in Nelson and visit schools.
People wanting to sign the petition can do this at the GB Organics or the Rural Service Centre this Saturday. The petition is downloadable at <www.greens.org.nz/petitions/petition-save-bees>.
Ina Holst
