EPA Launches New Pesticide Labels to Protect Bees

EPA Launches New Pesticide Labels to Protect Bees

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

There are new labels to protect bees. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created new pesticide labels that forbid the use of certain neonicotinoid pesticides where bees are known to be present.

Labels will feature a bee advisory icon with application instructions on routes of exposure and spray drift precautions. Pesticide companies will need to meet the new labeling requirements with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) safety standard.

Since May, there have been reports of bee deaths, which prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture and EPA to jointly release a report on honey bee health which outlined several factors that could be related to bee deaths including – habitat loss, parasites and diseases, poor nutrition and exposure to pesticides.