page_title: Colony collapse disorder
section_title: Initiatives to ban neonicotinoids in the United States
hierarchical_section_title: Colony collapse disorder / Possible causes / Pesticides / Initiatives to ban neonicotinoids in the United States
caption_attribution_description: Čeština: Opylení včelou English: Pollination by a bee. Français&#160;: Pollinisation par une abeille. Italiano: Un'ape mentre impollina un fiore. Македонски: Пчела како опрашува цвет. Nederlands: Bestuiving door een bij
context_page_description: Colony collapse disorder is an abnormal phenomenon that occurs when the majority of worker bees in a honey bee colony disappear, leaving behind a queen, plenty of food, and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees. While such disappearances have occurred sporadically throughout the history of apiculture, and have been known by various names, the syndrome was renamed colony collapse disorder in late 2006 in conjunction with a drastic rise in reports of disappearances of western honey bee colonies in North America. Beekeepers in most European countries have observed a similar phenomenon since 1998, especially in Southern and Western Europe; the Northern Ireland Assembly received reports of a decline greater than 50%. The phenomenon became more global when it affected some Asian and African countries as well.
  Colony collapse disorder causes significant economic losses because many agricultural crops worldwide depend on pollination by western honey bees.
context_section_description: In March 2013, professional beekeepers and environmentalists jointly filed a lawsuit against the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for continuing to allow the use of neonicotinoids in the United States. The suit specifically asks for suspension of clothianidin and thiamethoxam. The lawsuit follows a dramatic die off of bees in the United States, with some beekeepers losing 50% of their hives. The EPA responded to the suit by issuing a report blaming the Varroa mite for the decline in bees and claiming the role of neonicotinoids in bee extinction has been overstated.
  Also in 2013, the Save America's Pollinators Act of 2013 (H.R. 2692) was introduced in Congress. The proposed act asks that neonicotinoids be suspended until a full review of their impacts has occurred. The bill was reintroduced on 4 March 2015 as the Saving America's Pollinators Act (H.R. 1284), where it is currently being debated by the House Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research.
caption: Pollination
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