What actions can you take now to create a better future? Can nature and society flourish? This week, you can invest in the planet by protecting bees.
Action: Dispose of pesticides
Benefits of bees
Bees It contributes to pollination of 84% of crops grown for human consumption (one third of all the foods we eat), and pollination of many crops grown to feed our livestock. The commercial value of bees in the US alone is estimated to be more than $15 billion a year. Meanwhile, native bumblebees and lonely bees species are even numbers. More efficient pollinators of wild flowers and native plants. Bees are both agriculture and ecological keystones.
Colony collapse
Recent data show that US commercial beekeepers experienced an average loss of over 60% of the colony between June 2024 and February 2025. 1.1 million colonies lost. This represents one of the highest loss rates on record, poses a great risk to agriculture. Almond-like crops It relies heavily on bee pollination.
meanwhile Colony collapse disorder (CCD) This has been a major concern over the past few decades, and recent losses have been attributed to a combination of factors such as Varroa mites, pesticide exposure, habitat loss, and parasites such as climate change. In particular, warm and long falls are associated with an increased risk of colony collapse, as honeybees consume more energy foraging over the long term.
CCD affects only European bees, Almost a quarter Natural bee species also experience a decline in population and a decline in scope. Native bee species are affected by habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as pesticides.
Pesticide Contamination
You don’t need to keep your own hives or convert your lawn into wildlife habitat to help all sorts of bees thrive (although both are things to do). The most important thing you can do to support a bee population is to remove pesticides from your garden. Classes of pesticides known Neonicotinoid It is particularly harmful to honeybees, many of which are banned in the European Union. Nevertheless, they are still permitted in the US Repeated attempts Prohibit them. It’s still legal, but EPA Advice Homeowners are opposed to their use and suggest banning the use of one of them, Imidacloprid.
In California Congressional Bill 363When effective on January 1, 2025, it restricts the non-agricultural outdoor use of neonicotinoid pesticides, including imidacloprid. This legislative move aims to mitigate the negative effects of these chemicals on pollinators, and is consistent with similar effects taken by other states to protect bee populations.
Clean your pesticides
For the benefit of bees (and humans and other wildlife), household gardeners should look for alternatives to non-toxic pest control and practice organic gardening.
Collect all your pesticides this week by walking through your basement, garage or garden shed. Check the material list for the following information:
- Acetamiprid
- Cross Nijin
- Dinotefurandis
- Imidacloprid
- Thiamethoxam
- Sulfoxaflor
- Fully Pyrazi Fron
- Fipronil
Do not throw these pesticides in the trash bin. Contact your local solid waste utility and follow the policy for disposing of household hazardous waste (HHW). Many municipalities collect HHW for free. Other places like businesses A beautiful port and Waste Management HHW is accepted for a fee. If you don’t have a safe local disposal program you live in, you can run out of remaining pesticides by carefully reaching the direction. Next, recycle the empty container.
Editor’s Note: This article, originally published on May 13, 2022, was updated in May 2025.
