Tell the EPA: Ban bee-killing pesticides

The petition to the Environmental Protection Agency reads: "Toxic neonicotinoid pesticides are killing off honeybee populations at an alarming rate. The European Union recently recognized this and agreed to ban the use of neonicotinoids. Join them and immediately ban bee-killing pesticides to prevent further widespread bee colony collapse." Add your name:

The European Union has finally listened to scientists and banned all outdoor use of neonicotinoids – the pesticides linked to the widespread collapse of bee populations.1 This is a major victory for our environment and food systems, but the United States continues to ignore the evidence and uses these toxic chemicals in huge amounts. It is past time that the EPA bans bee-killing pesticides once and for all. Tell the EPA: Ban all bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides. Click here to sign the petition. New large-scale studies have confirmed the role of neonicotinoids – the most widely used pesticides in the world – in the dramatic decline of honeybee populations.2 The studies show that these toxic nerve agents not only harm individual bees, but also are linked to the slow collapse of colonies. Bees and other pollinators play a vital role in the production of many nuts, fruits and vegetables in our diets. Pollinators enable an astounding 35 percent of global food production and contribute more than $24 billion annually to the U.S. economy.2 But the number of managed honeybee colonies in the United States has declined from 6 million in the 1940s to less than 3 million today – jeopardizing our food supply and domestic agriculture industry.3 And the outlook for bees is getting worse. More than 700 bee species in the United States are declining, and nearly one in four is at increasing risk of extinction.4 The European Union has finally taken action to protect bees and food systems, but that doesn't help the bees here in the United States. We need the EPA to join the European Union and ban these pesticides – now. Tell the EPA: Ban all bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/ban-neonics?t=7&akid=28451%2E3130208%2Eqgoqr4 - Brandy Doyle, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Damian Carrington, "EU agrees total ban on bee-harming pesticides," The Guardian, April 27, 2018. Roni Dengler, "Neonicotinoid pesticides are slowly killing bees," PBS News Hour, June 29, 2017. Office of the Press Secretary, "Fact Sheet: The Economic Challenge Posed by Declining Pollinator Populations," The President Barack Obama White House Archives, June 20, 2014. Ron Smith, "Bee colony losses down in 2016 for U.S. beekeepers," Southwest Farm Press, May 25, 2017. Kelsey Kopec & Lori Ann Burd, "Pollinators in peril: A systematic status review of North American and Hawaiian native bees," Center for Biological Diversity, February 2017.