Friend,

Certain pesticides poison bees. Once they've been exposed, affected bees face uncontrollable shaking, paralysis and death.1

Bees are in trouble, but toxic neonic pesticides are sold directly to consumers like you and me. We need to get these pesticides off the shelves and out of our carts. As the world's largest online retailer, Amazon has the power to make a huge difference for bees.

Tell Amazon: Stop selling bee-killing pesticides.

Amazon might be great at speedy delivery, but it can't next-day ship a new species.

Thank you for taking action,

Ellen Montgomery

1. Oliver Milman, "Fears for bees as US set to extend use of toxic pesticides that paralyse insects," The Guardian, March 8, 2022.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Environment Colorado <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, Dec 23, 2022
Subject: Tell Amazon to stop selling bee-killing pesticides
To: Friend <[email protected]>

Friend,

These pesticides are poisoning bees -- and their babies.

A commonly used class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids, or neonics for short, inflict lasting harm on our country's bees. They impact bees' motor function, harm baby bees and impact bee colonies throughout multiple generations.1,2,3

For the bees, we have to make sure these pesticides have no place in our plants and ecosystems.

That's why we're calling on Amazon, one of the world's largest online retailers, to stop contributing to the die-off of bees by taking neonics off its online shelves. Add your name.

These pesticides are driving a collapse in pollinator populations.

Neonicotinoids attack bees' nervous systems. Once they've been exposed, affected bees face uncontrollable shaking, paralysis and death.4

Worst of all, these pesticides have lasting impacts on bees of all sorts -- as well as their ability to reproduce and, ultimately, survive in the long-term.

In one study, blue orchard bees that were exposed to neonicotinoids as larvae produced 20% fewer offspring than unexposed bees. And those numbers got worse with multiple exposures.5

We're seeing harm to bumblebees as well. In the past two decades, American bumblebee numbers have dropped by nearly 90%.6

These pesticides are bad for bees -- and we need to protect these pollinators.

Amazon can and should stop contributing to the decline of bees -- because while the company is great at speedy delivery, it can't next-day ship a new species.

Tell Amazon: Bees deserve better.

Our world needs bees.

They're responsible for pollinating so much of our food and so many of the plants that form the foundation of ecosystems across the planet.

We need to protect our country's bees. And we can start by shielding them from these dangerous pesticides.

At the click of a mouse, Amazon can deliver almost anything -- and sadly, that includes bee-killing pesticides.

When it comes to maintaining our lawns and gardens, there are plenty of safe products on the market. Instead, Amazon still sells products containing bee-killing neonics.

Amazon can't same-day ship a new species -- and that's why we're calling on the company to take neonics off its virtual shelves. And we know that when we call on companies together, we can make a difference.

Five years ago, conservationists across the country called on The Home Depot and Lowe's to remove neonics from their shelves. And even though there's still work to be done on removing these bee-killing pesticides, it led to progress: Both companies have taken important steps to phase out neonics.

Let's work together to make sure that Amazon doesn't deliver a chemical that's killing bees.

Join us to help protect bees.

Thank you,

Ellen Montgomery

1. Douglas Main, "Insecticides can reduce bee fertility, causing lasting harm across generations," National Geographic, November 22, 2021.
2. Oliver Milman, "Fears for bees as US set to extend use of toxic pesticides that paralyse insects," The Guardian, March 8, 2022.
3. "Pesticides impair baby bee brain development," Science Daily, March 3, 2020.
4. Oliver Milman, "Fears for bees as US set to extend use of toxic pesticides that paralyse insects," The Guardian, March 8, 2022.
5. Douglas Main, "Insecticides can reduce bee fertility, causing lasting harm across generations," National Geographic, November 22, 2021.
6. Elizabeth Gamillo, "The American Bumblebee Has Nearly Vanished From Eight States," Smithsonian Magazine, October 6, 2021.