USDA 'Mite' Summit Could Aid EPA Assesment Of Pesticides' Risks To Bees

A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) summit this week could help inform EPA efforts to determine whether certain pesticides increase the susceptibility of bee colonies to a parasite known as the Varroa mite, a risk that environmentalists cited in a failed effort to persuade EPA to block approval of a new pesticide. EPA registered the active ingredient cyantraniliprole Feb. 5 over environmentalists' objections that the systemic pesticide poses similar risks to bees as the controversial neonicotinoid class, and may also...