Supporters of Barnet Football Club, whose nickname is the Bees, have criticised the European Commission for taking too long to ban neonicotinoids. Fifteen countries recently voted in favour of a ban but by then, Barnet’s relegation from the Football League had already been confirmed. Fans claim that action should have been taken much earlier because several scientific studies had linked the use of the substance with the Bees losing their way.
Barnet fans’ complaints have been backed by Brentford supporters. Also nicknamed the Bees, Brentford’s fans had initially doubted that neonicotinoids were adversely affecting their recent upwardly-mobile trajectory. However, many claim they saw evidence that one Bee’s sense of direction was adversely affected when he missed an injury-time penalty that would have clinched promotion to the Championship. Many Bees were found drowning in beer shortly afterwards, leading to further problems in them finding their way home.
Even with the introduction of the neonicotinoid ban, Barnet fans fear that rehabilitation will not be easy. They believe that neonicotinoids, together with the local Council’s incompetence, caused the Bees to abandon their Underhill home of 106 years last month. The Bees have set up a new Hive seven miles away but politically-motivated fans are attempting to change the Council’s approach and attract the Bees back to the borough using a series of pollen stations.
(hat-tips to monkeyrepublic for getting me thinking and Titus for the punchline)
