Pre-poisoned Plants
This is a reiteration of the importance of Mariette Nowak’s article titled “Are ‘Safe’ Pesticides Killing Pollinators”. A few things that have come up since she wrote it.
It was recently revealed (Pesticide Research Institute, Pesticide Action Network of North America, Beyond Pesticides) that many “bee friendly” home garden plants sold at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target and other leading garden centers have been pre-treated with bee-killing pesticides.
The systemic pesticides known as the neonicotinoids (also known as ‘neonics’) enter the tissue, nectar and pollen of the treated plants. There is no way to clear the plants of the pesticide once it has been applied.
After the neonic bee-kill in the Target parking lot in Oregon, Representatives from Oregon and Michigan have introduced in Congress the “Save our Pollinators Act” which seeks to suspend the use of neonics on bee-attractive plants until EPA reviews all of the available data, including field studies.
There is already on the books, in the 2008 Farm Bill, a requirement to “protect native pollinators”. How do we get people to pay attention to these protective acts?