Millions of dead honey bees

I am a beekeeper, owner of a bee-product company, and mom of two kids.

That's why I was shocked when I learned that millions of honey bees were poisoned recently by an aerial pesticide spray in South Carolina aimed at combating the transmission of the Zika virus by mosquitoes. And I was even more concerned when I learned that the chemical that was sprayed--a powerful neurotoxin called Naled--hasn't even been proven to be fully effective in eradicating the mosquitoes that carry Zika during trials in Puerto Rico and Florida, where people have protested its use.

Will you join me in telling the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency to consider risks to pollinators, wildlife, and human health and to create stronger guidelines on the aerial application of powerful neurotoxins, such as Naled, for mosquito control?

The Zika virus is dangerous, and we must find ways to eradicate it. But fear of the virus should not lead us down a path where we are spraying a dangerous neurotoxin that isn't even effective at eradicating Zika in the first place! Naled has already been banned in the European Union and has been protested heavily in Puerto Rico, where Zika has been more prevalent than almost anywhere else in the world.

Beekeepers like me are fighting for our livelihoods. The pollinator industry contributes an estimated $29 billion to farm income and is crucial for our food supply--bees are responsible for pollinating one out of every three bites of food that we eat. But this is not only about bees. In high enough doses, Naled will kill any insect in its vicinity and can be potentially damaging to mammals.