Your thoughts on bees may not go much further than “I don’t want to get stung.” But they play a vital role in our food supply, and we believe it’s time for Congress to act to protect them.
U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., is among 60 House members who on Sept. 30 called on Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy to take immediate steps to protect bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, from the impacts of some pesticides.
Commercial beekeepers across the country experienced extremely high colony losses this past winter, and hives have yet to recover to full strength. Native pollinators, such as bumblebees, have also suffered population declines, and petitions are pending to give two species Endangered Species Act protection, the Recorder of Greenfield, Mass., reported on Sept. 30.