Dear John,
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Help save our bees from extinction. Tell Congress to ban bee-killing neonics.
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The numbers are in: Beekeepers faced their second highest losses in 14 years this past year. The situation is dire with massive bee die offs -- largely thanks to the continued use of bee-killing pesticides. Thankfully, the Saving America’s Pollinators Act (SAPA) would put a stop to these toxic chemicals.
Scientists have warned that further decline of bees and other insects could lead us to a “collapse of nature’s ecosystems.” Currently, 40 percent of wild bees and other essential pollinators are at risk of extinction -- and pesticides are a key driver.
The numbers show the problem is only getting worse. John, will you join us and demand Congress take action now?
Help save the bees: Demand that Congress ban bee-killing pesticides today!
Bees and other pollinators are vital to our food system. They pollinate two-thirds of the food we eat every day -- from almonds to zucchinis and everything in between. Without bees, a lot of our healthy and favorite foods would be hard to come by.
Unfortunately, rampant neonic use is driving alarming bee die-offs, and Congress has done nothing to stop it. Our recent study found U.S. agriculture is now 48 times more toxic to insect life than it was 25 years ago, and neonicotinoids are mostly to blame.
Sadly, neonics aren’t just driving record bee losses. Recent studies show that these pesticides make songbirds lose weight and delay migration, which is especially concerning since more than half of all songbird species are in decline. This pesticide is pushing our planet’s precious wildlife closer to extinction.
SAPA would be huge boon for bees and other pollinators. But the pesticide industry is lobbying hard to prevent Congress from taking action. Now, your legislator needs to know engaged environmentalists like you are watching. John, let them know we won’t stand by while they let bees die!
Take Action: Tell Congress to protect our food system, bees, and other wildlife from toxic neonics.
Neonic pesticides are the most widely used insecticides in the world. They’re long-lasting and systemic, staying in the environment for years.
Did you know we can’t even wash them off our food? In the United States, roughly 90 percent of corn and 50 percent of soybeans are treated with neonics. As they are also water-soluble, they can be applied to plants via irrigation -- but this also means the runoff can be carried to lakes and rivers. Each day Congress fails to ban them, our exposure to them increases. Meanwhile, bees, our health, and our environment suffer.
The pesticide industry -- including companies like Bayer-Monsanto and Syngenta -- wants to keep selling products that are poisoning bees despite continual record-high losses.
Bees need our protection -- our entire ecosystem depends on it. Can we count on you to tell Congress to protect our beautiful bees before it’s too late?
Protect our bees: Tell your legislator to save bees from bee-killing neonics!
Standing with you,
Jason Davidson
Food and Agriculture Campaigner
Friends of the Earth
