The Green Party has presented a 6,500 signature strong petition to Parliament’s Environment Select Committee calling for a review of the use of neonicotinoid insecticides in horticulture.

Green MP Sue Kedgley says an urgent review of neonicotinoids is needed because their increasing use has been linked to large scale bee deaths.

“So there was real concern that there doesn’t seem to be anybody who is really looking at the whole issue and looking at developing a strategy to protect our honey bees given their incredible important to our horticulture, agriculture, ecology and economy. “

Overseas, beekeepers say the use of neonicotinoids has contributed to colony collapse disorder – a phenomenon which sees the hive’s worker bees go permanently awol.

Ms Kedgley says it is becoming increasingly clear that New Zealand has the preconditions for colony collapse disorder – those being highly stressed bees because of the varroa mite, neonicotinoids, and other disease outbreaks.

Meanwhile, MAF says policing bee hives is not its responsibility, after beekeepers began calling for the Ministry to begin prosecuting irresponsible beekeepers, who do not register, nor monitor, their hives.

“In recent years there has been renewed interest in small scale hobby beekeeping which is great. But it is important that beekeepers, or would be beekeepers, realise that it is a legal requirement to register hives with the National Beekeepers Association so they can be contacted in case of disease outbreaks in the area.”

The Hawke’s Bay branch of the National Beekeepers Association has this week destroyed more than 30 unregistered hives that were found to be infected with American foulbrood. 

Beekeepers in the Hawke’s Bay say that cowboy beekeepers are threatening their livelihoods by not monitoring the health of their hives.

They fear their bees will rob the honey from sick hives’ and carry the disease into healthy hives.