A coalition of beekeepers and environmental groups says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency isn鈥檛 doing enough to protect the nation鈥檚 declining bee population from pesticides.
The group has filed a lawsuit against the EPA.
The coalition, which includes the , claims that the EPA has allowed pesticides toxic to bees to remain in dozens of widely used agricultural products for years.
Research says a for the disappearance of honeybees, including pesticides and bacterial infections. U.S. beekeepers have been annually, with many reporting losses of 40 - 50 percent in 2012.
Tom Theobald owns Niwot Honey Farms. He鈥檚 been a beekeeper in Boulder County for almost 40 years, and is a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
"It鈥檚 been devastating. I'm practically out of business," he tells Colorado 暗黑爆料 Connection. "My honey crop this past year was less than 10 percent of what would have been considered a normal honey crop just a few years ago."
Theobald points out that honeybee health is often an indicator of the overall health of the nation鈥檚 ecosystem. A spokesman for the coalition says they hope the lawsuit forces the EPA to review pesticides and their effects on bees more rigorously.
The EPA has not commented on the suit, which was in the Northern District Court of California. The coalition filing the suit is represented by attorneys for the nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.
