EPA assessment finds pesticide a risk to honeybees

The Environmental Protection Agency, in risk assessment released in early January, said a popular pesticide poses a significant risk to honeybees.

The analysis from the EPA indicates that honeybees can be exposed to imidacloprid — a neonicotinoid pesticide used on 140 crops — at concentrations that negatively affect the health of the hive. The assessment said the pesticide can harm honeybees when used on citrus and cotton but not berries, corn and tobacco.

Lisa Archer, food and technology program director at Friends of the Earth, said the EPA’s assessment “reinforces the strong body of independent science demonstrating that neonicotinoids are a leading driver of bee declines. It is imperative that the EPA stop delaying action and immediately suspend imidacloprid and other bee-toxic pesticides.”...