Honeybees are responsible for pollinating 70% of all food crops. That 'ecosystem service', currently offered free of charge by the busy little bee, has been estimated to be worth $350 billion annually worldwide. Without the honeybee, our food supply is in jeopardy. Across Europe and North America honeybee hives are suffering mass die-offs in what scientists have dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder. This syndrome has been traced to systemic pesticides called neocotinoids manufactured by chemical giants like Bayer and Monsanto. These pesticides, absorbed by the roots of the plants, do a great job of controlling the pests that damage or destroy crops - eat a leaf, you consume the pesticide that has entered the plant's system, and you die. But it's also in the nectar sucked by the bee. The European Union has already banned several classes of neocotinoids. The US Environmental Protection Agency has issued permits for them. Tell the EPA to ban neocotinoids. Sign the petition immediately below. Save the bees. Save our food.

Good news! - On July 16, Representatives John Conyers (D, MI) and Earl Blumenauer (D, OR) introduced a bill in Congress, the Save America's Pollinators Act (HR 2692), which would ban the use of neocotinoids until their use is proven in field studies not to be harmful to pollinators, principally the honeybee. If you'd like to do even more, visit this site to urge your individual Representative to support the bill.

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