EPA says insecticides harmful to bees.

PositionPollination

A preliminary pollinator risk assessment for the neonicotinoid insecticide, imidacloprid, which shows a threat to some pollinators, has been released by the Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.. EPA's assessment, prepared in collaboration with California's Department of Pesticide Regulation, indicates that imidacloprid potentially poses risk to hives when the pesticide comes in contact with certain crops that attract pollinators.

"Delivering on [Pres. Barack Obama's] National Pollinator Strategy means EPA is committed not only to protecting bees and reversing bee loss but, for the first time, assessing the health of the colony for the neonicotinoid pesticides," says Jim Jones, assistant administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. "Using science as our guide, this preliminary assessment reflects our collaboration with California and Canada to assess the results of the most recent testing required by EPA."

The preliminary risk assessment identified a residue level for imidacloprid of 25 parts per billion, which sets a threshold above which effects on pollinator hives are likely to...

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