Most of
us concerned about the plight of bees are now conscientiously choosing plants
for our gardens that are good for bees.
What we may not be aware of is that the very plants we are purchasing to
help bees may have been treated with the same pesticides that have been killing
or sickening bees worldwide – neonicotinoids.
Neonicotinoids
or neonics are a group of systemic pesticides that are used on crops to control
insects. When they are used as a seed
coating or a drench, the insecticide enters the system of the plant and can be
found in all parts of the plant – leaves, stem, flowers, fruit. Insects feeding on any part of treated plants
are affected.
The neonicotinoids
widely used to prevent insect damage on crops have been recognized as dangerous
to bees. Although bees are not the
targets, they are attracted to the flowers of crops that have been
treated. The bees ingest the neonics
through nectar and take the pollen of the treated plants back to their hives to
feed their young. Large doses of the
pesticide will kill bees outright, but even very small doses of neonics, can cause
bees to become disoriented, to experience memory loss or to lose their foraging
ability. Honey bees are often unable to
find their way back to the hive.
Those very same neonics that harm bees on crop plants may be
present in the ornamental plants we purchase at nurseries and big box
stores. Studies of plant material from a
variety of retail sources have revealed the presence of neonics in plants
offered for sale. Some growers use the
pesticides on their ornamental stock as a control for insects just as farmers
do on crops. And we purchase those
plants for our bee gardens!
To reduce the danger to bees, many countries have banned the
use of neonicotinoids, but there is no legislation banning the use of neonics
on garden plants in Canada or the USA.
The nurseries and plant producers, the sources of our plants, are free
to use neonics on the plants they produce. Of course, we wouldn’t choose plants for our
bee gardens that contained harmful pesticides, but there is no way of knowing
whether the plants we purchase have been treated with neonics or not.
Here’s where you and I come into the picture.
The Ontario Horticultural Association has acted. OHA has written a letter to the main large
box stores asking them to choose plants for sale that have not been treated
with neonics and to label plants that have been treated.
You and I can act, too.
We can ask our plant sources whether neonics have been used on the
plants, and we can choose not to buy plants that have been treated with
neonics. We can regulate the use of
neonics with our purchasing decisions.
Buy only bee-friendly plants this spring.
Here are some sites you may want to visit for more
information:
