Federal Wildlife Refuges In NW, Hawaii, To Phase Out Neonics By January, 2016

[hatrack]

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Federal wildlife refuges in the Northwest and Hawaii will phase out a class of pesticides that are chemically similar to nicotine because they pose a threat to bees and other pollinators key to crop growth.

The region covering Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Hawaii is the first in the agency to ban neonicotinoids. There is room for exemptions, but the goal is to phase out the pesticides by January 2016, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman Miel Corbett said Monday.

The agency's pest management policy calls for pest-killing methods that pose the least risk to wildlife, and there is scientific evidence that neonicotinoids kill bees and other pollinators, said Kim Trust, the agency's deputy regional director of refuges.

"We made the decision because we are concerned over the global decline in all pollinators — bees and butterflies," she said. Pollinators such as domestic honeybees and wild bumblebees and butterflies are vital to the proliferation of domestic crops as well as wild plants, spreading pollen that fertilizes the seed-producing flowers while they gather nectar. Their numbers have been declining worldwide.

EDIT

http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/NW-Wildlife-refuges-phasing-out-pesticide-5636762.php

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Take your time about it -- what could go wrong ? nt