Insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and all other types of synthetic pesticides comprise a multi-billion dollar industry. This industry, one born from leftover WWII chemicals, is not one that prioritizes the safety of the consumer.

In the beginning, this was simply because the population was growing so rapidly that more food needed to be produced, and fast. These chemicals were a quick solution to a major problem, but one in which consequences were not accurately or thoroughly evaluated. Then, it blossomed into a profitable industry with only a few players.

Now, the food industry has given the world a semblance of trust. We continuously fret over the calories, added sugar, and saturated fat content listed on our food products instead of worrying about chemicals and pesticides. As more and more evidence comes out against large corporations such as Monsanto, Bayer, and Dow Chemical, not just about their ethics, but also about the studies they have funded, the scientists they have paid off, and their overall lack of transparency, a different question emerges: What has been sprayed on the food I am eating?

This question is a key one. It means that you, the consumer, will not be lied to and cheated out of your health and the health of the planet. It means that conventional agricultural practices that famously saved over a billion people from starvation, need to be reconsidered and new, sustainable alternatives must be introduced in order to preserve the life of Planet Earth. That natural alternative lives in the neem tree.

Neem has been used for thousands of years in India as a natural source of medicine, treating and saving countless lives, while also protecting crops from pests, molds, and fungi. As study after study has shown, neem oil, with its unique compound azadirachtin leading the way, is safer and just as effective, if not more effective, than conventional pesticides. The neem tree is the natural innovation that will carry us through the 21st century and into a sustainable future.

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Funded partly by Bayer and Syngenta, the research showed that honeybees are less likely to survive the following winter after application and wild bees demonstrate lower reproductive rates after exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides. The level of exposure and harm was also found to be different across countries and bee species.

In the study, researchers planted three different plots of oilseed rape (canola) throughout the UK, Germany, and Hungary. They were each treated with typical field-level amounts of different pesticides: one with clothianidin, a neonic, another with thiamethoxam, another neonic, as well as an untreated control plot. Researchers then brought in honeybee colonies, as well as two other wild bee colonies: bumblebees and red mason bees. After the flowering season, the scientists were able to examine the nests to analyze bee behavior, chemical levels, and population rates. For honeybees, both negative (Hungary and United Kingdom) and positive (Germany) effects were found during crop flowering. In Hungary, negative effects on honeybees persisted over winter and caused a 24% decline in colony size. For wild bees, reproduction was negatively correlated with neonicotinoid residues. Essentially, this indicates that neonicotinoids hinder the survival rate and establishment of new colonies in the years following exposure.

As bees are essential to human survival, these new studies are extremely worrisome in respect to global food security. By continuing to allow and use these synthetic pesticides, we are putting our future at risk. Instead, we must shift our mindset and use natural, organic alternatives, like neem-based pesticides that pose no risk to the bee population. Beekeepers are even using neem to eliminate and prevent mites in hives. For a sustainable future, the neem tree holds the solution.

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By the 1930s, there was a push to produce more and more food as the population had hit 2 billion and was showing no signs of slowing. Though it took over 120 years to go from a global population of 1 billion to 2 billion, there were only 33 years between the 2nd and 3rd billion. Consequently, with this rapid increase in demand for food, there was a scientific push to increase yields through innovative crop care and protection. German chemists discovered organophosphates during World War II. Intended for use as a chemical weapon, these compounds were kept secret during the war. After the war, they were repurposed as insecticides. Then came DDT. DDT is a synthetic compound synthesized by humans. These pesticides became hugely popular due to these benefits:

• Broad Spectrum: toxic to a wide range of pests, but thought to be safe for mammals
• Persistent: remained effective in the environment and required infrequent applications
• Water Insoluble: unaffected by rain, allowing for infrequent application requirements
• Inexpensive: cheap to buy and easy to use

These types of synthetic pesticides grew increasingly popular and were used to control mosquitoes in public, residential areas and delouse soldiers in WWII. However, there are immense health risks to continued use. DDT accumulates in body fat and the environment for generations! Nowadays, there are still reports of people with high DDT levels in their body, as well as traces found in soil and water samples.

Though plant-based pesticides have been around since the 1600s, they have not always been considered effective enough when considering cost or application. However, due to the destruction of the environment and the degradation of human health associated with synthetic chemicals, this is quickly changing. Without a focus on naturally derived pesticides, we will continue to produce synthetic chemicals that solve the global food security issue, supporting the rapid increase of our populations, but without proper knowledge and understanding of the severe health or environmental consequences. Instead of risking your future, support natural biopesticides, like neem.

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