John,

A wildlife refuge should be a safe haven for bees.

So why are bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides allowed to be used here? One puff of this toxic stuff could turn what was once a safe space into a deadly trap.

It's time to give wildlife refuges back to the bees. Tell the Biden administration: Ban the use of bee-killing neonics in wildlife refuges.

Bee-killing pesticides weren't always allowed in wildlife refuges. But in 2018, the Trump administration lifted an Obama-era ban on neonics in refuges, ushering in an unsafe era for bees.1

We know that neonics are 1,000 times more toxic to bees than DDT.2

We know that the widespread use of neonics has made our country's agricultural landscape 48 times more toxic to bees in just the past few decades.3

And we know that bees are in trouble as a result. Experts warn that 1 in 4 native bee species is at increasing risk of extinction.4

To save the bees, we need to give them a safe place to call home. Tell the Biden administration to reinstate a ban on bee-killing neonics in wildlife refuges.

The nearly 95 million acres of our wildlife refuge system offer an oasis to all kinds of wildlife. But they won't be safe for bees as long as bee-killing neonic pesticides are allowed to be used in them.

We need bees -- they pollinate thousands of species of plants and carry entire ecosystems on their tiny shoulders.5 It's time to return the favor and take action to keep bees safe.

Add your name to keep bee-killing pesticides out of wildlife refuges today.

Thank you,

Ellen Montgomery

1. "Trump administration lifts ban on pesticides linked to declining bee numbers," The Guardian, August 2, 2018.
2. Stephen Leahy, "Insect 'apocalypse' in U.S. driven by 50x increase in toxic pesticides," National Geographic, August 6, 2019.
3. Stephen Leahy, "Insect 'apocalypse' in U.S. driven by 50x increase in toxic pesticides," National Geographic, August 6, 2019.
4. Maryellen Kennedy Duckett, "Nature needs us to act--now," National Geographic, March 4, 2020.
5. "The buzz on native bees," USGS, June 15, 2015.