Good News on Bee-ing Heard

Protestors dressed as giant bees walked down Downing Street at the start of a great week for the campaign save our Bees. The best news came on Thursday when the EU proposed restrictions on neonicotinoid chemicals linked to bee decline. The evidence linking these chemicals to declining bee populations is growing. Earlier last week three leading UK retailers announced they are removing products containing neonicotioid chemicals from their shelves.

Friends of the Earth’s The Bee Cause campaign is supporting individuals to make change in their gardens and communities to help bees, and asking the Prime Minister to commit to a National Bee Action Plan. To support the call to David Cameron and find out what else you can do to help bees, visit The Bee Cause webpage www.foe.co.uk/bees

Homebase became the latest retailer to take action on neonicotinoid chemicals linked to bee decline. (Wednesday 30 January 2013)

In a statement sent to Friends of the Earth the store said: “As a precautionary measure Homebase have removed from sale the Bayer Lawn Grub Killer which contains imidacloprid.”

The withdrawal follows similar moves by B&Q and Wickes the day before (29 January 2013). In a report for Friends of the Earth bee experts at the University of Reading warned that pesticide use had risen by 6.5% between 2005 and 2010 and that more insecticide treatments tend to be applied to bee pollinated crops.

The bees walk down Whitehall to Downing Street, 29 January 2013. Friends of the Earth was handing in a petition to 10 Downing Street calling on David Cameron to commit to drawing up and implementing a Bee Action Plan to halt the decline of British bees. The petition had 64,902 signatures.

The revelations came as members of the Government’s Advisory Committee on Pesticides met on 29 January to discuss recent developments on bees and pesticides.  At the same time, giant Friends of the Earth bees handed in a petition signed by over 64,000 people to Number 10 Downing Street urging David Cameron to introduce a National Bee Action Plan. The petition now has over 112,000 signatures.

Cover Photo: Stefania Priori –  Humble Bumblebee on Oregano Flowers Gorgeousbunch Greeting Card Range  - Phone Order Sales 07708803326 (Forest Row, East Sussex)