Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new labels intended to better protect bees from neonicotinoid pesticides. While seemingly a move in the right direction — and explicit acknowledgement from the agency that neonics indeed pose a threat to bee populations — these labels fail to establish truly meaningful protections.There is no clear path for enforcing EPA's new labels....
Honey bees are up against a lot these days, no thanks to a lack of action from EPA. And new data released today adds to the growing list of concerns for pollinators: home garden plants that come pre-treated with bee-harming pesticides.In a pilot study released today by the Pesticide Research Institute and Friends of the Earth, the groups tested plants...
Last week, the term “bee-washing” emerged in public conversation. It doesn’t refer to some new bee cleaning service, but to the insidious efforts of Monsanto and other pesticide corporations to discredit science about the impacts of pesticides on bees — especially neonicotinoids — by creating public relations tours, new research centers and new marketing strategies.This week, pesticide makers are showcasing...
Happy Pollinator Week! Join PAN, Beyond Pesticides and Center for Food Safety this week as we celebrate the importance of bees, the vital pollinators responsible for one in three bites of food we eat. With beekeepers reporting record-breaking losses, and policymakers moving much too slowly to address known threats like neonicotinoid pesticides, bees need all the help they can get.Join...
Great news for bees! In a historic vote, the European Union (EU) passed a continent-wide restriction on the use of bee-harming pesticides. Despite immense pressure from the pesticide industry, a majority of EU countries sided with bees. Here in the U.S., policymakers have yet to step up. And with beekeepers in this country reporting record-breaking bee losses this year —...
Regulators across the pond are keeping up the momentum to protect pollinators, with a new report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) adding fipronil to the list of bee-harming pesticides the agency is concerned about.Earlier this year, EFSA raised the alarm about three other insecticides that pose a threat to bees. And the EU responded with a two-year ban...