According to Environment Maine State Director Carissa Maurin, if bees disappear, there will be no food. ‘We rely on bees to pollinate everything from almonds to blueberries to the alfalfa used to feed dairy cows,’ she said. The Give Bees a Chance Community Action Event will take place at Frith Farm, a no-till, organic farm run by Daniel Mays and Sarah Coburn, on Aug. 10. (Courtesy photo)

SCARBOROUGH — Environment Maine is asking the public to Give Bees a Chance at their Community Action Event on Saturday, Aug. 10, from noon to 2 p.m., at Frith Farm.

“Millions of bees are dying off, with alarming consequences for our environment and our food supply,” Environment Maine State Director Carissa Maurin said in a press release. “We rely on bees to pollinate everything from almonds to blueberries to the alfalfa used to feed dairy cows.”

According to a document released by the White House in 2014, the United States commercial beekeeper’s honey bee colony loss rates have increased to 30 percent each winter.

“That’s twice the loss considered economically tolerable,” Environment Maine said on its website.

The unsustainable high mortality rate, the White House wrote, is thought to be consequent of a “combination of stressors,” like loss of natural diet and exposure to pesticides.

“Contributing to these high loss rates is a phenomenon called colony collapse disorder,” the White House wrote in the release. In colony collapse disorder, a hive of bees dies rapidly and unexpectedly.

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Maurin said that what happens when bees disappear is simple: “No bees, no food.”

Senator Ben Chipman is scheduled to speak at the event. Maine House Rep. Maureen Fitzgerald Terry is also scheduled to be at the event, as well as a representative from Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.

The Community Action Event will be at Frith Farm, a no-till, organic farm run by Daniel Mays and Sarah Coburn in Scarborough and started by Mays in 2010.

“Our mission is to build soil, increase biodiversity, and strengthen the community through the growing of wholesome food,” Frith Farm’s website said.

Maurin hopes the event will bring community awareness to the harmful consequences of the use of pesticides.

“It’s time to solidify Maine as a leader in prioritizing environmental policy and pass a statewide ban on the pesticides that kill bees,” Maurin said.

Evelyn Waugh can be reached at ewaugh@mainelymediallc.com or 780- 9026.

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