What Are Neonicotinoids? And Why You Should Keep Them Out Of Your Garden

Chemical pesticides are intended to kill pests, but many of them have been found to kill off the bees we rely on for pollination. exposed and some have been prohibited because of dangers to humans. Other types of pesticides rose to take the place of those eliminated, and one synthetic type in particular - neonicotinoids - has become quite popular. These were thought to be safe for beneficial insects like bees, but new evidence suggests that neonic pesticides present a real and present threat to pollinators in your garden.

To learn more about neonicotinoids and bees, read on.

What Are Neonicotinoids?

Neonicotinoid insecticides were developed in the early 90s and became popular. They are chemically related to nicotine and are not toxic when it comes to humans or other mammals. However, they are much more toxic to invertebrates, like insects, than they are to mammals, birds and other higher organisms.

Although they were originally touted as less harmful to nature than older types of pesticides, recent information has shown this to be untrue. These insecticides, now the most widely used class of insecticides in the world, are in fact devastating to the environment and particularly toxic to pollinators, including bees.

Hundreds of studies have established that neonics kill many bees and pollinators around the globe. Between April 2020 and 2021, some 45 percent of honeybee colonies were lost.

The Negatives of Neonicotinoids

As is often the case, the benefits of neonicotinoid pesticides have also been shown to be their most negative elements. Neonics were welcomed by agriculture because they are some of the most deadly pesticides ever formulated when it comes to insects. They are also water soluble, which is appealing since they can be applied to soil for uptake by plant roots.

These neonicotinoid “superpowers” are also the primary “negatives” of the pesticides. The fact that they are so deadly is a problem because they kill most insects without regard to “pest” status, including butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. Thanks to their wide use, neonics have made U.S. agriculture much more harmful to insect life.

The water solubility is also a negative, since the chemicals have found their way into the world’s waterways. Transported to surface water, the neonics are a danger to aquatic invertebrates in rivers and streams.

Neonicotinoids are systemic pesticides. The chemicals are taken up through the roots and absorbed into the plants. The toxins can be present in both pollen and nectar, which means that pollinators - including native bees - ingest them and die. Because the neonics remain present in the plant for a long time, these chemicals can harm pollinators when the plants bloom, even when the initial application is made months earlier.

How to Avoid Neonicotinoids

Only a complete ban of neonics by the EPA will fully protect the country’s pollinators and ecosystems. But to date, this has not happened, nor does it seem likely in the near future.

On the other hand, every gardener can choose not to use neonicotinoids. In fact, you should take every step possible to minimize the use of any toxic insecticides. There are many other options. Use an integrated pest management system to combat pests in the yard instead of automatically turning to pesticides. The push-pull pest control method is growing in popularity.

In addition, you will want to determine whether gardeners know if plants they consider purchasing have already been treated with neonics. Look on the label for a warning and talk to staff at the garden store. But these steps might not work. The safe thing to do is to take off all of a plant’s flower for the first year after you buy them in order to keep the bees safe.

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