Protect bees from pesticides this spring

Steffan Browning MP on Tuesday, September 1, 2015 - 11:47

The Green Party is encouraging gardeners to use untreated seed for their spring planting to protect bees from pesticides this September, which is Bee Aware Month.

A group of pesticides known as neonicotinoids have been implicated as one cause of declining bee populations.

Seeds are frequently treated with neonicotinoids to kill soil plant pests but get taken up in plants right through to the flowers.

“By treating seed with neonicotinoids, manufacturers put bees at risk,” said Green Party pesticide spokesperson Steffan Browning.

“Bees are an essential part of the ecosystem; as pollinators they ensure survival of plants that we depend on for food.

“We should be doing everything we can to encourage bees into our gardens, forests and farms, not poisoning them with insecticides.

“When you’re buying seed for your spring planting and summer crops, make sure you check that they are not treated with neonicotinoids, and don’t use pesticide sprays containing them either,” said Mr Browning.

The Warehouse and Placemakers withdrew several neonicotinoid products from their shelves after a Green Party campaign in 2013.

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