Yeah! Three Neonictinoids banned by EU Member States

On June 17, 2013, more than 50,000 bumble bees died when 55 blooming linden trees were sprayed with the pesticide dinotefuran (also known as Safari) in a Target parking lot in Wilsonville, Oregon. This loss represents potentially hundreds of wild bumble bee colonies. Incidents like this one can easily go unnoticed when poisonings occur in agricultural fields or natural areas. Dinotefuran is one of a group of insecticides called neonicotinoids. These are systemic chemicals that are absorbed into plant tissue, making the plant itself toxic to insects. These chemicals are very long-lasting, and because they can be present in the pollen and nectar, they can be highly toxic to bees. Neonicotinoids are implicated in bee die-offs the world over. Caption paraphrased from The Xerces Society. Photo of Linden (*Tilia* spp) tree blossom courtesy of Portland Tree Tour

Yeah! Three Neonictinoids banned by EU Member States

According to an April 27, 2018 article in Buglife, the partial ban on using neonictinoids (neonics) on flowering crops which was endorsed by the European Union (EU) in 2013 has now been expanded to ban all outdoor uses.

According to a December report in 2017, Buglife indicated that half of the rivers and lakes monitored in England as chronically polluted with neonics primarily caused by agricultural and residential use, followed by pet protection treatments against fleas and pesticide use in greenhouses. Both pet treatment and greenhouse use of neonics are being allowed for now.

The hope is that EU Member States will adopt a new pesticide approval process in order to control the introduction of new insecticides suspected of harming bees and other pollinators. However, not all EU Member States voted in favor of the ban, so it’s likely the struggle will go on. And especially so since the USA and other countries appear to be slow in reviewing their pesticide regulation processes.

But there is hope the rest of the world will strive to achieve the EU’s levels of concern for the environment and for our pollinators, and consequently, about one-third of our food source. Let’s hope we’re reaching a turning point.

Thanks to Brendan Carton for making me aware of this happening in the EU through the Pollinators and Native Plants Discussion Group.

Yeah! Three Neonictinoids banned by EU Member States

Leave a Reply Cancel reply