Beekeepers asked the Ninth Circuit on [September 6] to block the federal government’s approval of the unrestricted use of the pesticide sulfoxaflor, claiming it will decimate bee populations throughout the United States.
Michele Colopy, a beekeeper and program director of the Pollinator Stewardship Council, said sulfoxaflor is highly toxic to bees and other pollinators. “If a bee is sprayed with it, it will kill them,” she said by phone ….
[Editor’s note: Read Environmental media, advocacy groups in uproar after EPA grants long-term approval for alleged ‘bee-killing’ pesticide sulfoxaflor. Here’s what the science says to learn more.]
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The appellate court ordered sulfoxaflor removed from the market once before over concerns about its toxicity to bees and other pollinators. In 2015, the court found the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s initial approval of the pesticide “was based on flawed and limited data.”
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Manufactured by Dow AgroSciences – now Corteva Agriscience – sulfoxaflor was reinstated by the EPA in 2016 with significant restrictions to minimize its exposure to pollinators, by limiting spraying on crops attractive to bees.
But in July, the agency announced it would remove previous restrictions and allow new uses of sulfoxaflor on crops like alfalfa, corn, oats and sorghum. It also added citrus, cotton, cucurbits, soybeans and strawberry back to the list.
Read full, original article: Ninth Circuit Asked to Save Bees by Swatting EPA Revival of Pesticide
