Federal judge bans honeybee killing pesticide

The US justice system sided with nature this week in decision to forbid the sale of a dangerous pesticide known as spirotetramat after January 15, 2010. This toxin was sold under the trade name of Movento and Ultor. Bayer CropScience had pressed it's approval by the EPA in 2008. According to US District Judge Denise Cote, the EPA was delinquent in it's duties to thoroughly follow the required steps to approve the chemical. She noted that, "The EPA utterly failed to comply with these procedural requirements and has offered no explanation whatsoever for these shortcomings."
The court case is an important victory for both farmers and environmentalists. A review of spirotetramat sponsored by the EPA found that foraging bees were bringing the toxin back to their hives. This endangers the entire colony.
The steady decline of bees in North America has been alarming scientists for several years. Farmers rely on honeybees to provide propolis, beeswax, edible pollen and, of course, honey. More importantly, they need bees to pollinate their crops. The USDA notes that in this country, "...honey bee pollination is worth about $15 billion to the food supply and is credited with helping to produce a third of the nation’s diet." Environmentalists are concerned about the absence of wild bumble bee species. Their disappearance coincides with the decline of cultivated honey bees which suggest that these creatures share a common enemy.
The Portland based group, The Xerces Society and the New York based group, Natural Resources Defense Council, banded together to keep the nation safe from spiroteramat. Removing one pesticide from the shelves may seem like a drop in the bucket for the natural world but it is still unclear how much damage this pesticide has already done to other biological systems. Both the Xerces Society and the Natural Resources Defense Council hope that this decision will set a precedent for supporting America's wildlife.