Image Credit: Mike Mozart/Flickr
Plant nurseries across the nation aren’t waiting for federal regulators to move on neonicotinoid pesticides, substances linked to mass die-offs of bees and other important pollinators.
Instead, as the public chorus to “save the bees” has grown from a fluttering to a loud buzz, many have taken the initiative to stop selling products that contain these chemicals.
That’s the finding in a new report from the nonprofit Friends of the Earth and the Pesticide Research Institute, which surveyed around 100 retail and wholesale growers across the country to get a “snapshot” of how the nursery and greenhouse industry is responding to growing demand for neonic-free plants.
While only about one-fifth of those surveyed responded, bee expert Tiffany Finck-Haynes at Friends of the Earth said the results were promising.
“What we’re seeing is a shift in policies on how to prevent bug infestations without using bee-harming pesticides,” Finck-Hayes…