Activists call for new pesticide rules

Xerces Society Executive Director Scott Black told Grist that, in the wake of the Wilsonville bumblebee massacre, activists will send letters to local and state agriculture departments across the country, urging them to end the use of neonicotinoid insecticides on trees, lawns, and for other cosmetic purposes on lands that they manage.

“In urban areas, most of the pesticides used are purely cosmetic. It’s to have a perfect lawn. It’s to have a perfect rose. It’s to have a linden tree that doesn’t have aphids that drop honey dew,” Black said. “Losing valuable pollinators, such as bees, far outweighs the benefits of having well-manicured trees and lawns.”

For people who want to help bumblebees and other pollinators, visit the Xerces website.