HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0489.625 2018-2020 Murashige, Laura GOUT C cr. ,+
From: Bird and Bee <birdandbeehawaii@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2019 1:01 PM Th 20 � �
To: Council Testimony
47
Subject: Bill 101 Testimony
I support the amendment to Bill 101 to ban the use of herbicides by the county of Hawaii.
I am a beekeeper and also own 5 acres in Honokaa,Hawaii. I do not use any form of herbicides on my property and have requested that the county does not
spray in front of my property.
Herbicides,pesticides and fungicides,besides being harmful to humans,birds and fish they contribute to the honey bee decline.While some of these
chemicals don't always kill honey bees directly,they can affect their behavior,reproduction,development rates and other biological functions.
Case in point:Glyphosate(round up)doesn't kill honey bees(unless they get sprayed directly)but in a non-lethal dose it does reduce their ability to navigate,
may decrease nerve function,makes changes in gut microbiota and greater susceptibility to pathogens and malnutrition,it negatively affects associative
learning processes of bees,cognitive and sensory abilities of young hive bees and promotes delays in brood development.So while it does not kill directly in a
sub-lethal dose it plays a role in the honey bees'ultimate demise.
Some of the chemicals of the proposed ban list are toxic to bees and some as said to be non-toxic too honey bees.Toxicity is generally measured using acute
contact toxicity values LD 50—the exposure level that causes 50%of the population exposed to die.Toxicity thresholds are generally set at:
-highly toxic(acute LD50<2µg/honey bee);
-moderately toxic(acute LD50:2-10.99µg/honey bee);
-slightly toxic(acute LD50: 11- 100µg/honey bee);
-non-toxic(acute LD50>100µg/bee)to adult honey bees.
LD50 is an incomplete measure of toxicity to social insects like honey bees because it is a measure of individual toxicity,not colony toxicity.It does not
account for the ways honey bee behavior can mitigate or exacerbate the effects of the chemical on the colony and how one honey bee can contaminate the
hive and also does not take into account the long term cumulative exposure.Besides collecting nectar and pollen honey bees also need to drink water which in
the field can be contaminated.
Thank you and I hope we can ban the use of herbicides in Hawaii County.
Sincerely,
Susan Collins
46-3991 Old Mamalahoa Hwy
Honokaa,HI 96727
1
Comm. No.
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1 Ref. DateNOV 2 0 2013