Bee populations have taken a hit over the last decade and researchers have identified several culprits, one of which is a specific chemical widely used in lawn and garden care products. The chemicals commonly known as neonics attack the central nervous systems of insects that frequent gardens.
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Neonics and other pesticides, along with disease and declining diversity in gardens and landscapes, are among the causes of declining bee populations worldwide, a United Nations study released in February said.
“This decision comes after careful consideration regarding the range of possible threats to honey bees and other pollinators”, Martin said. “We are glad to see that Ortho is moving away from using these bee-toxic chemicals, and we hope that other garden and nursery companies will follow suit”.
The company, a division of Scotts Miracle-Gro, said in an announcement Tuesday it would “immediately begin to transition away from the use of neonicotinoid-based pesticides for outdoor use”. A subsequent study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California’s environmental agency found that the effects of neonics on bees are partially dependent on the type of crop or plant they are used on.
Almost a third of a human’s diet is from insect-pollinated plants.
A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that neonics can negatively influence bee health and may make bees more vulnerable to mites and other threats. Other large pesticide manufacturers say all the research to date may be overstated. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in March that it would consider protecting two species of wild bumblebees under the Endangered Species Act, after receiving a request from Defenders of Wildlife.
“We’ve been trying to get the Department of Environmental Conservation to ban imidacloprid, the second most common pesticide found in Long Island’s ground water”, she said.
May Berenbaum, a bee expert and professor of entomology at the University of IL, told the Associated Press that while bees still face significant challenges, Ortho’s move is one step toward removing “one contributor to some of the problems”.
However, the locus of the problem of pesticides and bees is centered in rural, agricultural parts of the country where Bayer neonics dominate Ortho neonics. The agency at the time said the preliminary report was the first of four bee-focused neonicotinoid reviews it aims to complete by 2017.
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