Josh Nelson, CREDO Action (8/15/15)
Honeybees, critical pollinators for many of the world’s food crops, are dying at such an alarming rate that nearly 1/3 of our food supply is in danger. And the science clear: Neonicotinoid pesticides are the leading contributor behind bee colony collapse.1
Yet despite mounting evidence, some major retailers — including Ace Hardware and True Value Hardware stores — continue to sell bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides.
Big box chains like Lowe’s have started phasing out the sale of these dangerous pollinator-killing chemicals. We must pressure Ace and True Value to follow Lowe’s example and end the sale of neonic-containing pesticides before it’s too late.
Bees and other pollinators play a vital role in our food production system by enabling the production of many of the nuts, fruits and vegetables in our diets. In total, pollinators make possible an astounding 35% of global food production and contribute more than $24 billion annually to the U.S. economy. But the number of managed honeybee colonies in the United States has declined from 6 million in the 1940s to just 2.5 million in 2014 – jeopardizing our food supply and domestic agriculture industry.2
And the outlook for bee colonies is clearly getting worse. A recent survey, funded in part by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, revealed that U.S. beekeepers lost over 42% of their colonies between April 2014 and April 2015, a significant upswing of losses from the previous year.3
In the face of this troubling situation, some major retailers and communities are starting to act. In addition to Lowes, Home Depot, BJ’s Wholesale, and Whole Foods are taking measures to remove these pesticides from their store shelves, and more than 20 states, communities, and organizations have already passed measures to limit or ban neonicotinoids.4 It’s time for Ace and True Value to stop contributing to the problem and join their competitors to immediately prevent any further damage to bee colonies.
Tell Ace and True Value: Stop selling bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides immediately. Click the link below to sign the petition:
http://act.credoaction.com/
Thanks for all you do to protect pollinators.
- Tom Philpott, “Did Scientists Just Solve the Bee Collapse Mystery?,” Mother Jones, May 20, 2014
- “Fact Sheet: The Economic Challenge Posed by Declining Pollinator Populations,” The White House, June 20, 2014
- “Colony Loss 2014-2015: Preliminary Results,” Bee Informed Partnership, May 13, 2015
- “Groups urge more than 100 garden retailers to stop selling pollinator-toxic pesticides,” Friends of the Earth, June 17, 2015
