Schmaeling says certain farming equipment is
also responsible for affecting soil health, coating
plants in pesticide powders and depleting soil of
essential nutrients and microorganisms.
“That land has just been treated and tilled
and sprayed. There’s nothing in there that’s
beneficial,” Schmaeling said during a recent
interview on Rodale Institute’s Kutztown campus.
“And all (the conventional farmers) are relying
on is that the seed in the ground is treated and
genetically modified to grow. But there’s nothing
else ... (the soil) doesn’t have any health
or life in it.”
Scientists have found that when bees consume
pesticides, it can impair their ability to navigate,
reproduce and communicate with other bees.
“If these bees are, you know, buzzed with certain
types of insecticides, then they don’t have to
be dead — but if their nervous system isn’t
working properly, combine that with viruses,
combine that with the fact that their strength is
not up there because of mites, these things kind
of accumulate and can cause problems,” said
Marten Edwards, chair of Muhlenberg College’s
biology department.
The parasitic bee mite, varroa destructor, is cited
by the USDA as one of the most serious pests of
the honeybee.
Female mites attach to the adult bees, feeding
on their hemolymph, a fluid equivalent to blood
found in invertebrates, according to the agency.
And, when there are a lot of mites present
in a colony, they can create malformations
like shortened abdomens, misshapen wings,
deformed legs or even result in the death of the
pupa, the early, immature life stage of a bee.