Ecosystem-wide Threat

Comments

  • merlin44
    merlin44 Posts: 426 ✭✭✭✭

    Thanks for posting this @silvertipgrizz. I was completely unaware that garden plants and seeds were being treated with this poison. I'll definitely be starting ALL my plants from seed this year.

  • Marjory Wildcraft
    Marjory Wildcraft Posts: 1,615 admin

    Here is the story at a glance:

    Story at-a-glance

    • A majority of soybean, corn, canola and sunflower seeds planted in the U.S. are precoated with neonicotinoid insecticides, also known as “neonics.” More than half of garden plants attractive to bees sold at garden centers are also pretreated with these toxic pesticides
    • Neonics have been shown to threaten the entire food chain, having toxic effects not just on pollinators such as bees, but also invertebrates, birds and other wildlife
    • American agricultural land is now 48 times more toxic to insects than it was two decades ago, and between 1992 and 2014, neonicotinoids accounted for 92% of the total acute insecticide toxicity load
    • Neonics affect migration behavior of songbirds by affecting their feeding patterns and fat stores. The chemicals act as a rapid appetite suppressant
    • Research by the EPA in 2014 and 2019 concluded that neonicotinoid-treated seeds provide no significant financial or agricultural benefits for farmers


  • merlin44
    merlin44 Posts: 426 ✭✭✭✭
    edited December 2019

    Anyone who cares about health, the earth, life should read this article.

  • Desire’
    Desire’ Posts: 31 ✭✭

    After learning this I stopped buying boquets from florists and grocery stores as well unless they can guaranty the grower didn't use neonicotinoids.

  • merlin44
    merlin44 Posts: 426 ✭✭✭✭

    @Desire’ Thanks for pointing that out, didn't think about that.