All the Dirt on Gardening

Both Home Depot and Lowe's have announced that they are phasing out the pesticides that kill bees. Friends of the Earth and other groups have campaingned endlessly to get movement on the issue and finally the federal government added its push. From Garden Design Online , "The announcement followed a long campaign by Friends of the Earth and others to remove plants treated with neonicotonoids, which kill bees.  Lisa Archer, Food and Technology program director at Friends of the Earth US, said Home Depot's action shows that it is listening to consumer concerns.  A study released by the group and others in 2014 showed that 51 percent of garden plants purchased at Lowe's, Home Depot, and Walmart contained the harmful pesticides at levels that could damage or kill bees." Reuters reports that Lowe's will take until 2019 to accomplish this simple goal. " Last year, BJ's Wholesale Club, a warehouse retailer said it was asking all of its vendors to prov...

Here's the email from Amy Campbell asking for help with her research into greenhouse plants that have been treated with imidacloprid.  Dear Molly, Somehow I found this post in my searchings for information about imidacloprid in greenhouse plants. Our beekeeping club is working with local nurseries to highlight bee-friendly plants and I voiced concern about plants that could have been treated with neonicotinoid compounds. It is very difficult getting this kind of information. Where did you see this posted originally? I have emailed Dr. Krischik but so far no answer. Other scientists are unwilling to go out of their field of expertise - ie if they are entomologists they don't want to comment on systemic pesticides. If you have other articles especially that have references I would be very interested to read them! I do thank you for posting this because I think it's very important. Back yards have the possibility of not just attracting native bees but helping them to sur...