Home Depot is selling plants treated with bee-harming neonicotinoid pesticides. Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides commonly used in agriculture and increasingly associated with declines in bee populations, and bee viability is an important concern given the utility they have to ecosystems as pollinators.
Full Answer
Is Home Depot selling plants treated with bee harmful pesticides?
Home Depot is selling plants treated with bee-harming neonicotinoid pesticides. Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides commonly used in agriculture and increasingly associated with declines in bee populations, and bee viability is an important concern given the utility they have to ecosystems as pollinators.
Does Home Depot use neonicotinoid pesticides?
In response to our question about Home Depot’s current neonicotinoid use, public relations spokesperson Christina Cornell told us that 98 percent of their plant products are neonicotinoid-free, and the only ones that remain so treated are the result of state-level regulations requiring neonic pesticide application and are labeled as such:
Does Home Depot sell plants treated with neonics?
However, there are states that require some plants be treated with neonics. The Home Depot is one of the few retailers that labels plants that are treated with neonics so customers can choose for themselves.
Are insecticides harmful to bees?
Though studies do link these chemicals to bee declines, debate continues over suitable insecticide replacements for them, and over the harm of their use when applied in ways intended to protect bee populations (especially when compared to potential replacement chemicals).
Does Home Depot put pesticides on plants?
“The Home Depot is one of the few retailers that labels plants treated with neonicotinoids so customers can choose for themselves. Through partnerships with our suppliers, we've made tremendous progress on removing neonic from our plants and they are now 98 percent free of neonicotinoids.May 29, 2019
Does Home Depot use pesticide?
(Beyond Pesticides, December 4, 2015) Home Depot, the world's largest home-improvement chain, has announced that it will no longer use neonicotinoid (neonic) pesticides (which have emerged as the leading class of pesticides responsible for bee declines) in 80 percent of its flowering plants, and that it will complete ...Jun 7, 2021
Does Lowes use pesticides on their plants?
A study released by environment group Friends of the Earth and Pesticide Research Institute in 2014 showed that 51 percent of garden plants purchased at Lowe's, Home Depot and Walmart in 18 cities in the United States and Canada contained neonicotinoid pesticides at levels that could harm or even kill bees.Apr 9, 2015
Does Home Depot plants have neonicotinoids?
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Home Depot (NYSE: HD), the world's largest home-improvement chain, has announced that it has removed neonicotinoid pesticides, a leading driver of global bee declines, from 80 percent of its flowering plants and that it will complete its phase-out in plants by 2018.
Do neonicotinoids wear off?
Neonicotinoids are systemic chemicals, meaning that they are absorbed by the plant, protecting it from chewing and sap-sucking insects. They are absorbed by all parts of the plant, including the sap and pollen. Therefore, once neonicotinoids are applied, they cannot be washed off.Dec 11, 2015
How long do Neonics stay in plants?
Persistence in soils, waterways, and nontarget plants is variable but can be prolonged; for example, the half-lives of neonicotinoids in soils can exceed 1,000 days, so they can accumulate when used repeatedly. Similarly, they can persist in woody plants for periods exceeding 1 year.
Does Walmart use pesticides on their plants?
In an email to Friends of the Earth, Walmart confirmed that its growers have eliminated neonics from approximately 80 percent of its garden plants. Walmart has also eliminated neonicotinoids in almost all its off-the-shelf gardening products.May 3, 2017
Does Lowes use bee killing pesticides?
Home improvement store Lowe's announced it will stop selling bee-killing neonicotinoid and plants treated with neonicotinoids, though the phase out will not be complete until 2019.Apr 10, 2015
Are Bonnie Plants treated with Neonics?
To date, other retailers have not required live good vendor labeling of neonics use, however, you can be assured, Bonnie Plants, available at any/all retailers we supply, nationwide, does not utilize any neonics.May 25, 2015
Does Home Depot Canada use neonicotinoids?
Top place for neonic-free flowering plants goes to two big box chain stores and one regional chain: Home Depot, Lowes (which includes RONA and Reno-Depot Corporate stores across Canada and Sheridan Nurseries in Ontario. As a close second, Canadian Tire Corporation reported that it has reached 95% neonicotinoid free.Jun 12, 2019
What plant kills bees?
There are some plants that are actually poisonous to bees. For example, the nectar of rhododendrons is toxic to bees, and if bees ingest it and then make honey, it will make the honey unsafe for human consumption. Other flowers that can be deadly for bees include azaleas and oleander.Apr 14, 2017
What is a neonicotinoids most harmful to?
Like nicotine, the neonicotinoids act on certain kinds of receptors in the nerve synapse. They are much more toxic to invertebrates, like insects, than they are to mammals, birds and other higher organisms.
Can neonicotinoids be washed off?
They are absorbed by all parts of the plant, including the sap and pollen. Therefore, once neonicotinoids are applied, they cannot be washed off.
Does Home Depot use neonicotinoids?
Home Depot, the world's largest home-improvement chain, has announced that it has removed neonicotinoid pesticides from 80 percent of its flowering plants and that it will complete its phase-out in plants by 2018. Neonicotinoids also are among the safest products we have for both our employees and the environment.". Click to see full answer.
What percent of greenhouse growers don't use neonicotinoids?
Greenhouse Grower magazine surveyed the one hundred largest greenhouse growers in the industry, and found 31 percent of the growers surveyed are not using neonicotinoids at all, and 38 percent have eliminated neonicotinoid use for some of their plant products.
What is Home Depot phasing out?
By phasing out neonicotinoid products, Home Depot is helping consumers break away from a dependency on the use of toxic pesticides in their homes and gardens ,” said Jay Feldman, executive director, Beyond Pesticides.
What percentage of bees contain neonicotinoids?
Geological Survey released a reconnaissance study demonstrating native bees collected in an agricultural landscape are exposed to multiple pesticides and of the bees tested, 70 percent contained pesticides, including neonicotinoids.
Does Home Depot use neonicotinoid pesticides?
Following the release of this report, Home Depot announced it would require its suppliers to label all plants treated with neonicotinoid pesticides, which have been shown to harm and kill bees, by the fourth quarter of 2014. It also committed to “find alternative insecticides for protecting live goods and bees.”.
