To: EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy

EPA: Act on bee-killing pesticides NOW!

Bees and other pollinators are essential to our nation’s food supply, farming system, economy, and environment. These critical species are in peril, and we need to act now to protect them. A strong and growing body of science confirms that pesticide use is a significant factor in pollinator declines. I urge you to direct your agency to immediately suspend the use of neonicotinoids and protect at-risk pollinators such as bees, butterflies, birds, and bats.

Why is this important?

Beekeepers lost an average of 44 percent of their colonies last year—even more than the year prior. Other research out this year indicates that native bees are declining, too. Why are the bees still dying? Largely thanks to bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides!

Bees are responsible for every one in three bites of food we eat, so we can’t afford to keep losing them. The EPA has the power to help bring back bee populations by restricting the use of bee-toxic pesticides.

This June, beekeepers, farmers, and people like you are coming together for the “Keep the Hives Alive Tour.” We’re driving around the country with a truck full of dead bees in order to raise awareness about the plight of pollinators and how toxic pesticides contribute to their decline.

The tour will end in Washington, DC on June 22nd with a large demonstration in front of EPA to urge the agency to take action on toxic pesticides and support sustainable agriculture.

We must ramp up pressure on the EPA to act NOW. We’re aiming to reach 2 million petition signatures by June 22nd, but we need your help to reach our goal!

What’s stopping the EPA from taking action? The pesticide industry.

The pesticide industry is doing everything it can to protect its profits. We know the EPA is hearing from Bayer, Syngenta, and other major agro-chemical companies that spend millions of dollars on PR campaigns to shift the blame away from pesticides—despite a wealth of research linking pesticides to bee declines. We need YOUR help to tell EPA to stop dragging its feet and take strong action on bee-killing pesticides.

We need to turn up the heat to make sure the harmful effects from these pesticides are eliminated once and for all. The EPA needs to hear from you—not just Bayer and other companies massively profiting from these toxic pesticides. This June we have the ability to do just that – help us make your voices heard!

Tell the EPA it needs to do its job and protect bees, the planet, and all of us from pollinator-killing pesticides NOW!