Editor:
This Friends of the Earth initiative to save the bees, Xerces Society (the great Canadian bumblebee count) by counting the bees is an absolute joke in every sense of the word.
They're distracting us with counting bumblebees because there are no honeybees left to count, thanks to the use of roundup (glyphosate) and its irresponsible sellers and users.
Glyphosate a product made by Monsantos, (DuPont) is sprayed on all genetically modified crops and does not discriminate on which pollinators to kill, it kills them all, as well as humans.
If they really wanted to stop the extinction of all pollinators then they would be calling on the public to demand that all retail sellers stop selling this poison, all farmers stop spraying their crops with glyphosate and stop purchasing roundup ready seeds.
Why are we not hearing from the Cancer Society on this? You can raise money to fight cancer all you want but a long as glyphosate and genetically modified crops are allowed in the food chain, all pollinators will continue on the road to extinction and so will humanity, not only from this poison but from the famine that will occur for lack of pollinating insects.
If you're going to count bees, then do so to prove how their populations are in decline, but also put the pressure where it really belongs and that's on the retailers and farmers who use this product in spite of the evidence and are responsible for this happening, all in the name of profits and tell Monsantos we don't want them or their life-killing products in our country.
Sincerely,
Colleen Simmons