It’s Pollinator Week, and in a state where farming is a major economic driver it’s important to note that farmers depend on, and protect, bees and other pollinators because they’re essential to crop health. In fact, many farmers are beekeepers themselves and go to great lengths to provide habitat and forage for bee colonies including planting thousands of acres of wildflowers around their crops. You’ve no doubt seen them as you drive by field after field beautifully framed in vibrant colors.   

And on a smaller scale, many of us have vegetable gardens with flowers intermingled for the same reasons. Protecting crops and vegetable gardens and protecting bees go hand in hand.   

Unfortunately there is quite a bit of dis-and misinformation about what harms bees. For instance, lawmakers recently passed a bill to ban neonicotinoids — which are used to keep plant pests and insects at bay — on lawn, turf and other residential areas for fear that they destroy bee colonies. They may be well-intentioned but they are misinformed. According to both former and current state apiarists, insecticides such as neonicotinoids are not the cause of bee decline in the state. And in testimony and elsewhere they’ve laid out the main causes for bee population decline. 

The primary cause of bee decline in the state is the varroa mite. These mites feed off of immature and mature bees by attaching themselves to the bodies of bees, weakening them by sucking out the fat. It’s the varroa mite that destroy bee colonies, not neonicotinoids.   

Additionally, climate change has contributed to bee loss because it has led to some plants having less protein in them than they used to and thus aren’t as healthy for bees as they once were. And heavier rainfall than normal also impacts bee health.   

And more recently, we’ve heard about so-called Murder Hornets, which have entered the U.S. and can destroy entire bee colonies within seconds. 

If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we must rely on sound scientific facts when making policy. Relying on scientific facts should guide all our policy-making at the federal, state, and municipal levels. Professional apiarists will tell you that restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids are not supported by evidence-based science.   

Neonicotinoids have undergone years of scientific testing and have been proven safe for humans and the environment when used appropriately. By that I mean using the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) guidelines that govern all of Maine’s pesticide use. Professional applicators are well aware of how to implement those guidelines.   

But it’s possible that homeowners need some further education when it comes to IPM.  Many of us grow our own vegetables. Naturally we don’t want them to die or become diseased. Using insecticides is one option because any insect that tries to live on or eat the plant is killed. Knowing how much to use and when to use it are key factors. 

For instance, you shouldn’t spray insecticides at certain times of the day when bees are most active. Early morning and evening are fine. And, it’s important to read the directions on the container so you know how much to spray.  Finally, planting flowers that bees are attracted to at a good distance from your vegetable garden, will prevent them from going after your prized vegetables.  Call or go to your local plant nursery. They’ll tell you which flowers attract bees. 

The truth is the neonicotinoids are actually safer than many other chemistries currently on the market, including some organic ones. Banning them would increase the use of those more toxic products.   

Bees are an important part of our ecosystem and no one wants to see colonies in distress. But banning neonicotinoids is not the answer because they are not the problem. 

 Dean Cray is a Somerset County commissioner and former state representative who served on the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.  

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