Dear Friend,

We did it! Thanks to the support of people like you, my colleagues and I filed a lawsuit on behalf of the American Beekeeping Federation and the Pollinator Stewardship Council to stop the use of a bee-killing pesticide called sulfoxaflor in California. Late last week a California Superior Court ruled in our favor!

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Nearly all commercial honey bee colonies in the US spend a portion of the year in California, so while this ruling only affects pesticide use in California, it has implications across the entire country.

Sulfoxaflor is so dangerous because it absorbs into the growing plant, making its pollen and nectar toxic to insects for many days after. According to scientists, it can kill adult bees at low doses, and when brought back to the hive it can impair the colony’s ability to breed, forage, fight disease, and survive the winter.  

Hurting honey bees, monarch butterflies and other pollinators puts our food systems and our ecosystems at risk. With this ruling, bees are getting much-needed relief just as we’re seeing some of the worst signs of colony collapse. From April 2020 to April 2021, beekeepers in the United States lost an astounding 45.5% of their managed honey bee colonies. 

This is why my colleagues and I have been fighting for years to protect our pollinators from pesticides like sulfoxaflor. And while last week's ruling is certainly an exciting victory, it is just one step in a much larger fight. Right now, we are working from Sacramento to Washington D.C. to ensure these pesticides are regulated appropriately so that they do not endanger the web of life necessary for sustainable, healthy agriculture.

The fight continues, but please know that none of this work is possible without the support of people like you. Thank you for being a continued partner in this fight.

Sincerely,
Greg Loarie
Senior Attorney

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