There is a growing body of evidence that neonicotinoids, a group of synthetic chemicals used as a coating for agricultural seeds and in pot plants, are harmful to bees. These chemicals work by spreading throughout the plant and into the nectar and pollen that the bees eat. Neonics are 7,000 times more toxic than DDT, a chemical pesticide the UK government banned in 1984.
Conservationists say that exposure to neonicotinoids, while not killing bees outright, actually weaken them and make them more susceptible to disease. Exposure to pesticides as a cause of bee death may have been underestimated.
Other countries have already taken preventive action by banning the use of neonicotinoids - including in France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia.
TAKE ACTION to protect Britain's bee population!
Neal's Yard Remedies together with activist and campaigner Sam Roddick have launched the Bee Lovely and Help Save the Bees campaign aiming to 'highlight the alarming decline of our precious pollinators in the UK and inform, inspire and empower people to help fight to save them'.
Do your part by signing the petition to ban neonicotinoids either via the website or at NYR stores nationwide. The petition, addressed to Secretary of State for Food, Environment & Rural Affairs Caroline Spelman, will be taken to Downing Street in October.
You can also make your garden bee-friendly using simple tips to attract wildlife.
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