This week, bee lovers across the country will be \u201cswarming\u201d Home Depot and Lowe\u2019s stores, calling on these major home garden retailers to stop selling pesticides that are harmful to bees.<\/p>
Last August, a pilot study from Friends of the Earth found that many bee-friendly plants sold at Home Depot and Lowe\u2019s come pretreated with neonicotinoids, insecticides that are a key contributor to bee die-offs. This week\u2019s swarms will be nudging home garden stores to take neonicotinoids \u2014 and plants pretreated with these chemicals \u2014 off their shelves. <\/p>
Home Depot and Lowe\u2019s haven\u2019t yet taken action to protect bees, but beekeepers, gardeners, and bee lovers around the country are stepping up.This week, thousands of people from coast-to-coast will be delivering Valentines to Home Depot and Lowe\u2019s, asking them to \u201cshow bees some love.\u201d <\/p>
1. Join us in person as we swarm Home Depot and Lowe\u2019s stores in the Bay Area<\/a>, Washington, DC<\/a>; Minneapolis, MN<\/a>; Chicago, IL; and Eugene, OR<\/a>.<\/p> 2. Print a Valentine<\/a> and deliver it to the nearest Home Depot or Lowe\u2019s store. (Need some ideas? These tips for delivery<\/a> are a good place to start.) <\/p>