Did You Know Humans Have Relied on Bees for 9,000 Years?
The European Union plans to ban the world’s most widely used insecticides in an effort to protect bees and other valuable pollinator insects.
The ban, approved by member countries Friday, targets insecticide compounds known as neonicotinoids (also called neonics for short). The ban is expected to come into force by the end of the year and will prohibit outdoor use of the chemicals (they may still be used inside greenhouses).
Neonics were introduced in the late 1980s as a safer alternative to older insecticides that are more toxic. Yet a growing body of research has pointed to environmental problems with their use.
Neonics are very effective at destroying the nerve cells of insects that ingest them. Most corn, soy, and wheat seeds
