(Letter in Arkansas Democrat Gazette on April, 30 2018)
The European Union just approved a near complete ban on bee killing neonicotenoid pesticides!
Despite U.S. legality, and Janet Carson and UA Extension promoting their use, home gardeners have power. We can boycott buying or using these products, and buy organic pesticide free foods if you can afford it. As a self employed landscaper and gardener, I have successfully stopped using and discouraged my clients from using them.
Look at the labels, and especially the widespread imidacloprid by Bayer, as well as clothianidin and thiamethoxam. These systemic pesticides go throughout the entire plant and scientific studies find that bees get poisoned by consuming nectar from toxic flowers. If a plant is too susceptible to insects and there is no alternative control, grow different plants or varieties.
Organic gardening is better for Nature, both for insects and the birds that need insects to feed their chicks, not to mention all the human food requiring bees for pollination.
Abel Tomlinson 