Hello,

To help end the use of the insecticide carbofuran (Furadan), you must act by Thursday, Nov. 30, the last day EPA is accepting comments on its proposal to ban carbofuran (Furadan). Most of the comments posted to date favor continued use of the insecticide, many of them by experiment station scientists.

Beekeepers and others interested in ending the use of the insecticide need to file comments supporting the ban by Thursday, Nov. 30.

Here are step by step instructions on how to file your comments electronically via the internet -- 

Access: www.regulations.gov

In the box Keyword or ID, type: EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0162

Click: Submit

Document Search Results should bring up EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0162.

At the far right, under Comments, click on the symbol. (To read comments already posted, click on EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0162 in the first column.)

On the Comment Form, fill in your company name, if any, and your name.

Type your comments into the General Comments box. If you want your address included in the public comments, you have to include it in the comments.

At the bottom, click Next Step and follow the other prompts.

Following are the comments I filed on behalf of the ABF. Feel free adapt these to your use, as you see fit.

Troy
 
 
 


 
Opposing Reregistration of Carbofuran

 

RE: Docket Identification Number EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0162

 

These comments are filed on behalf of the American Beekeeping Federation, a nationwide trade association composed of beekeepers, honey processors, bee supply manufacturers and dealers, and other interested parties. Founded in 1943, ABF has about 1,200 members spread across the country. Our beekeeper members range from hobbyists with one or two colonies to multi-state commercial beekeepers operating tens of thousands of colonies; they are involved in honey production, pollination, bee breeding, and all other aspects of beekeeping.

 

It was with a great deal of satisfaction that we read of the EPA's recommendation that the use of carbofuran (Furadan) be phased out. The pesticide has been one of the most deadly for honey bees over its nearly 40 years of use.

 

In 1997, Gene Brandi, an ABF beekeeper-member from California, conducted a survey for the ABF to assess the scope of pesticide-caused losses to honey bees. That survey found that Furadan (carbofuran) was blamed most often for bee deaths of all the pesticides listed by the beekeeper respondents. 

 

Most insecticides are lethal to honey bees, but the uses of carbofuran are so pervasive and the chemical itself is so lethal, that beekeepers single it out as the worst of the worst. Unfortunately, many of the plants on which carbofuran is used for pest protection are plants visited by honey bees collecting pollen and nectar. In recent years, many new insecticides have been developed that are more selective than carbofuran, providing needed pests control without damaging beneficial insects.

 

Through their pollination activities, honey bees provide an important service to agriculture, to ornamental plantings, and to the environment. A Cornell University study, conducted in 1999 found that honey bee pollination added $14.6 billion to the value of 51 individual fruit, nut, vegetable and field crops grown in the United States. This compared to a similar study in 1989 that calculated $9.3 billion in added value from honey bee pollination.

 

The American Beekeeping Federation urges that the recommendation to end the use of carbofuran be upheld and that the use of this dangerous chemical come to an end.

 

Thank you for considering our comments.

 

Sincerely,

 

Troy H. Fore Jr.

Executive Director

American Beekeeping Federation, Inc.

P.O. Box 1337

Jesup, GA 31598


-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and  other info ---