Photo: Vane Monte via Pixabay
Lisa Mackem
Last year, for the 10th consecutive year, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania all received an EPA emergency exemption to use the neonicotinoid-based insecticide, Dinotefuran, on peaches, apples and nectarines for Stink Bug control. ASNV lobbied to restrict “neonic” use. In February, the Virginia legislature prohibited spraying neonics within sight of a managed beehive, subject to a civil penalty of $100. This law was not a victory for conservation.
Neonic insecticides are now the most widely used class of insecticides worldwide, according to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Neonics are systemic (absorbed by the plant) and are often applied to seeds before the seeds are sown so the growing plant takes up the pesticide. Neonics are used for both farming and landscaping, exposing all pollinators to their damaging effects.
Neonics were initially introduced as less harmful than other insecticides but research later revealed their devastating impacts on pollinators, beneficial insects and aquatic invertebrates. The Xerces Society works to reduce their use and helps California farmers create habitat to support native pollinators and protect them from neonics. They have urged California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation to ensure protections for native pollinators, aquatic invertebrates and the state’s diverse ecosystems.
In 2018, the European Union permanently banned neonics, but industries in the U.S. dug in. Lobbying documents and emails show a decade-long sophisticated effort to obstruct efforts to restrict neonic use, with sobering results. In Mead, Nebraska the company AltEn, which was supposed to be helpful to the environment, built an ethanol plant that turns corn into biofuel. AltEn’s production process uses seeds coated with fungicides and insecticides, including neonics. Residents began to notice a rotting smell and reported eye and throat irritation and nosebleeds. Colonies of bees began dying, birds and butterflies appeared disoriented, and dogs grew ill and staggered around with dilated pupils. AltEn officials have advertised the company as a “recycling” location, where agricultural companies can leave excess supplies of pesticide-treated seeds. AltEn used these seeds in its ethanol, but the waste product contained too many pesticides to feed to animals so they distributed some of these grains to farm fields as “soil conditioner” and accumulated the rest on its plant’s grounds. Researchers say that this waste is dangerously polluting water and soil, and also threatening human and animal health. State officials ordered testing and found neonics in AltEn waste many times above what is considered safe. Nebraska filed a lawsuit against AltEn on March 1 for multiple environmental violations.
Equally alarming, the concentration of neonics in products sold for residential use on ornamental plants is as much as 30 times the allowance permitted in the agricultural sector. The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) collaborated on a Friends of the Earth (FOE) study and found that more than half of the seedlings purchased from retailers contain neonics. Heavy pressure from consumers and a consortium of conservation organizations has led retailers such as Lowe's, Home Depot, Walmart, Costco, True Value and BJ's Wholesale Club to label plants treated with neonics. The ultimate hope is to remove these chemicals from their plant production altogether. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a national policy decision phasing out the use of neonics on federal wildlife refuge lands nationwide by January 2016, but in 2018, under the Trump administration, that decision was rolled back. ABC also worked to ban neonics on state refuge lands, and some local US jurisdictions have taken action to limit neonics.
Regardless of legislation, everyone can and should take the following positive steps:
Buy organic fruits and vegetables when available and affordable.
Choose plantings that are labeled organic or neonic-free. Ask your local nursery to stop selling neonic pesticides and treated plants.
Avoid treating your garden with neonic products. The Center for Food Safety published a list to help guide your choices.
Never use pet collars that contain neonics, which are dangerous to children.
Speak out about neonics to the EPA and Congress.
Sources:
Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation – “Understanding Neonicotinoids”
Xerces Urges California to Step Up for Pollinators
The Guardian – ‘There’s a red flag here’: How an Ethanol Plant is Dangerously Polluting a US Village
American Bird Conservancy – “Neonics and Birds”
The Intercept – “The Pesticide Industry’s Playbook for Poisoning the Earth”