Over seventy percent of the global food crops are pollinated by bees.
American honeybee colonies have been dying at a rate of about 30% per year, every year, since 2006. Since 1947, the American bee population has plummeted from 6 million honey-producing hives to just 2.5 million. Worse, that number is still dropping.
Rampant pesticide use is a major cause of bee deaths.
In 2011, the EPA found that the use of neonicotinoid pesticides is both widespread and catastrophic.
Neonicotinoids are on average 7,000 times more toxic than DDT, which was banned in 1972.
DDT was banned because it contributed to the near extinction of birds, including the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon, and is particularly toxic to fish and insect life.
Despite this, the EPA has not halted the manufacture or use of neonicotinoids, choosing instead to put the products "under review" for the next five years.
Conservation biologists report that when the bees begin to die off, their surrounding environments are sure to follow. This downward spiral of toxicity cannot continue. Tell the Environmental Protection Agency to halt the production of deadly neonicotinoids now.
Dear Environmental Protection Agency,
I am writing to express my concern with the detrimental effect of neonicotinoid pesticides on United States bee populations. American honeybee colonies have been dying at a rate of about 30% per year, every year, since 2006. Since 1947, the American bee population has plummeted from 6 million honey-producing hives to just 2.5 million. Worse, that number is still dropping.
Bees are an integral part of the United States' ecology and economy. Without their pollination, a full third of American food crops would be unsustainable. Moreover, conservation biologists report that when bees die, so do their surrounding environments. [Your comments here] The Environmental Protection Agency's refusal to stop production on the neonicotinoid pesticides largely responsible for this mass bee death is both irresponsible and disturbing. The EPA has acknowledged the pesticides' toxicity and refused to take further action. I urge you to ban the production and use of neonicotinoid pesticides before the United States bee population vanishes for good. Sincerely, [Your name]
