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Environment

Pesticides Restricted To Protect Bees

by Britt E. Erickson
August 26, 2013 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 91, Issue 34

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Credit: Shutterstock
A photo of a bee.
Credit: Shutterstock

EPA is requiring manufacturers of four neonicotinoid pesticides—imidacloprid, dinotefuran, clothianidin, and thiamethoxam—to change the labels on their products to help protect bees and other pollinators. The new labels must include language that prohibits use of the pesticide when bees are foraging or when plants are flowering. The labels must also display an icon showing that the pesticide is hazardous to bees. EPA says it will work with manufacturers to develop the new labels, which could be ready as early as next year. “Multiple factors play a role in bee colony declines, including pesticides,” says James J. Jones, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety & Pollution Prevention. “EPA is taking action to protect bees from pesticide exposure, and these label changes will further our efforts.” Environmental groups welcome the label changes as a step in the right direction but urge EPA to ban the pesticides altogether.

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