Don't forget the SOD GROWERS…………
Gardeners Beware: Bee-Toxic Pesticides Found in “Bee-Friendly” Plants Sold at Garden Centers Nationwide
Bumblebee colonies foraging for six days on
clover in turf treated with a clothianidin grub-control
product at label rates not only experienced bee kills,
but the surviving bees produced no queens.
However, as this report shows, gardeners may be
unwittingly purchasing toxic seedlings and plants
attractive to pollinators for bee-friendly gardens, only to
poison them in the process.
Neonicotinoid pesticides can poison bees directly, but even
low-level exposure can lead to sublethal effects such as a
compromised immune system, altered learning, and impaired
foraging, effectively exacer-bating the lethality of infections and infestations.
Neonicotinoid residues were detected in seven out of thir-
teen samples (54 percent) of commercial nursery plants.
The widespread agricultural use of neonicotinoids is a
common exposure pathway for bees; however, cosmetic
use of these pesticides in gardens, lawns, and
landscapes may be an important factor in declining
bee and wild pollinator health.
Because the neonicotinoid pesticides are systemic and
persistent, exposures to low levels of neonicotinoids
in pollen and nectar over an extended period of
time (weeks to months) is a serious consideration.