Title: Environmental Impacts | Pesticide Action Network
Headings: Environmental Impacts
Environmental Impacts
Bees, Bats & Frogs Dying Off in Droves
Bee populations have dropped 30% per year since 2006.
Mystery of Disappearing Honeybees
Male Tadpoles Become Females in Contaminated Water
Fouled Waterways Endanger Fish & Birds

Content: Amphibians were the first to start dying off – in 1998 scientists identified the cause as a type of fungus, with population declines showing a strong correlation to pesticide exposure. A few years later America’s honeybees started dying – populations have dropped by 29% - 36% each year since 2006 (see below). Bee populations have dropped 30% per year since 2006. Bats are the most recent victims. In 2006 the first cave floors were found covered with dead bats in the Northeast. Some scientists believe that like amphibians, bats have become more susceptible to deadly disease (in this case, White Nose Syndrome) because their immune systems are weakened by pesticides. A growing body of evidence points towards pesticide exposure – even at so-called “safe levels” – as a key contributor to these and other problems for wildlife. Mystery of Disappearing Honeybees
Without bees, say goodbye to almonds, peaches - even chocolate. Fully 1/3 of the food we eat depends on bees for pollination. So when the insects suddenly started dying off and abandoning their hives in 2006, scientists, beekeepers and farmers sounded the alarm.