Mass. Environment Group Warns: No Bees Means No Food
BOSTON (CBS) - Millions of bees are dying each year. Anyone who has ever been stung by one might applaud that. But a growing group of environmentalists are warning that no bees means no food.
A group called Environment Massachusetts is trying to increase public awareness about the plight of the bee. They say 40 percent of the bee population is dying each year, most due to pesticides called neonicotinoids. That type of insecticide is said to be 6,000 times more toxic than DDT.
Omar Ali of Environment Massachusetts says bees pollinate 71 of the top 100 crops in the world, providing 90 percent of the food worldwide. His group is telling the public: No bees means no food.
A bill pending in the Massachusetts legislature would make sure these pesticides are only in the hands of people trained to used them, said Rep Carolyn Dykema, a co-sponsor of the bill.
She also said the bill would make sure plants that are treated with the insecticide would be labeled so consumers could make informed decisions about buying them.
Stores like Lowe's and Home Depot have already agreed to stop selling plants treated with the insecticide
