The state Senate has passed and sent to the House a bill, SB 198, that would make Maryland “the first state in the United States to place a partial ban on the sale of certain pesticides, which have been blamed for deaths of bees around the world,” says public broadcaster WAMU-FM. The bill would prevent consumers from buying and using neonicotinoids. Farm use would continue. WAMU quoted beekeeper Michelle Danoff as saying so-called neonics are responsible for the decline in bee colonies in Maryland. State Sen Adelaide Eckardt, who represents the agricultural Eastern Shore, says the ban on most uses of neonics by homeowners could lead to over-use of other, more dangerous pesticides.
In January, the EPA said in a preliminary assessment that one of the neonics, imidacloprid, is a potential threat to honeybee hives as well as individual bees when used on crops that attract pollinators. Residues that exceed 25 parts per billion trigger effects that include deaths of bees and lower honey production. A Canadian assessment reached similar conclusions about hives. At the same time, beekeepers and environmental groups sued EPA over use of neonics as a seed coating. In 2015, EPA proposed a ban on use of neonics when crops are in bloom and bees are under contract for pollination services. The agency is also conducting pollinator risk assessments on the widely used pesticides.
The so-called neonics, used on grain, fruit, vegetable, oilseed and legume crops, have been blamed for high mortality rates among commercial honeybee hives. Parasites such as the Varroa mite, poor nutrition, and adverse weather also have been blamed. Bees and other pollinators play a significant role in U.S. food production. Chemical companies say neonics are safe to use and other factors are to blame for bee population decline.