Sen. Chuck Schumer: Pesticide industry behind USDA suspension of honeybee population research

Sen. Chuck Schumer on [July 28] blasted the US Department of Agriculture for suspending data collection of the decline of honeybees — saying the recent decision will sting beekeepers and cost New Yorkers billions.

USDA officials blamed cost cuts [in July] when they announced they’d be scrapping the annual Honey Bee Colonies survey that since 2015, has gathered data on the number of bees per state, including those lost due to symptoms of colony-collapse disorder.

[Editor’s note: Read GLP’s Beepocalypse Myth Handbook: Dissecting claims of pollinator collapse to learn more.]

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Schumer was abuzz with theories about why the USDA decided to do away with the survey.

He suggested that the pesticide industry was responsible for the drastic decline in bee population and had convinced the USDA to quash the research. He also implied that the Trump administration fears information on bees would peg the waning of hives to climate change.

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