US rejects EU claim of insecticide as prime reason for bee colony collapse [View all]

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/may/02/us-bee-report-pesticide-eu


Researchers said it was not clear whether a certain class of pesticides was a major cause of the bee collapse.. Photograph: Julian Stratenschulte/EPA

A government report blamed a combination of factors for the disappearance of America's honeybees on Thursday and did not join Europe in singling out pesticides as a prime suspect.

The report, by the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency, blamed a parasitic mite, viruses, bacteria, poor nutritions and genetics as well as pesticides for the rapid decline of honey bees since 2006.

Researchers said it was not clear whether a certain class of pesticides was a major cause of the colony collapse.

Environmental groups described the lapse as a missed opportunity to respond swiftly to a situation that has decimated the country's bee population.