The Environmental Impact of Neonic Insecticides

Notes from the webinar "Neonics and Advocacy: Protecting Pollinators and Influencing Policy"

By Sharon Bauer, Friends of Bees 

Friends of Bees is a fellow Watertown-based group that was founded in 2014 to educate about and advocate for native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. They are a working group within Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice, and the Environment and a frequent collaborator with WCG, specifically our Pollinator Pathways Committee. You can read more about them here.

Several members of Friends of Bees recently watched a really stunning Webinar on “Neonics and Advocacy” that is now available on YouTube through the Wild Ones website.

Lucas Rhoads from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) presented research on the harmful effects of neonicotinoid systemic insecticides. Neonicotinoids, or “neonics”, are widely used insecticides that have been linked to myriad environmental harms, though even those already familiar with this issue may be shocked. Some key takeaways from the webinar include: 

• The use of neonics has massively increased in the last 20 years, making them the most widely-used insecticide in the U.S. 
• Neonics are used to treat seeds, which then makes every part of the plant (including pollen) toxic. The treated seeds are not regulated as pesticides.
• Neonics wash off of treated seeds into soil and water systems, where they are extremely persistent. 
• Neonics have been found in 97% of samples from streams and lakes, and are not removed by conventional water treatment systems. They are highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates, leading to a collapse in aquatic ecosystems.
• A new study shows that neonics are the leading cause of declines not only in bees and Monarch butterflies, but in birds and aquatic life as well. A single treated seed can kill a small songbird. Even sublethal amounts can cause great harm to bees.

The webinar also presented solutions for tackling this critical issue:

• We now have evidence that stopping the use of neonics in agriculture is not associated with lower crop yields!
• Quebec in 2019 moved to a “verification of need” system with no harm to yields.
• ME, NY, NJ and NV have banned the use of neonics in lawns and gardens except for removing invasives.

 Friends of Bees has been sounding the alarm about this for ten years. Maybe this new evidence can motivate us all to greater advocacy? If you are interested in protecting our native pollinators, you can read about ways to get involved with Pollinator Pathways here!