Florida Citrus Grower That Killed Millions of Bees With Pesticide Gets $1,500 Fine
Flaunt state law by illegally spraying pesticide that destroys millions of bees, threatens a local ecosystem, and costs local beekeepers a quarter of a million bucks? Better think twice! If Florida regulators catch you in the act, you'll have to cough up, uh, about $1,500.
That laughable penalty has environmentalists and beekeepers fuming in Crystal River, where the state found that citrus giant Ben Hill Griffin Inc. broke pesticide laws twice this year yet has levied only one tiny fine.
"Every four days, they were spraying seven or eight different types of chemicals," Crystal River beekeeper Randall Foti tells the Palm Beach Post. "A $1,500 fine is not much of a deterrent."
Worldwide, scientists have been raising the alarm for years about colony collapse disorder, a mysterious phenomenon that's led to mass bee die-offs. Bees are key pollinators for many vital plants, meaning their disappearance has dire consequences for entire ecosystems.
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2013/08/florida_citrus_grower_that_kil.php
It doesn't seem much of a mystery to me where the bees have gone.
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