Entomologists at Washington State University estimate that this year alone, commercial honey bee colony losses could reach up to 70%. While monarch butterfly migration numbers were thankfully up this year, they’re still down 80% overall and populations are not yet stable.
That’s why Center for Food Safety, one of the nation’s leading public interest and environmental advocacy organizations fighting to protect pollinators and our food system, is proud to partner with Dr. Bronner’s to advocate for action from our federal agencies to protect pollinators from the many threats they face.
Without pollinators, we’d starve
Insect pollinators provide invaluable ecosystem services to our food system by pollinating the majority of our crops. One in every three bites of food we eat comes from a crop pollinated by bees. Globally, insects pollinate more than 75% of crops, a service valued at up to $577 billion per year. Without the essential services pollinators provide, we would lose many of the crops we rely on to feed the world.
Our bees and butterflies are dying at alarming rates
Many underlying and interconnected causes are playing a role in the worldwide decline of our vulnerable pollinators, chief among them are the increasing use of toxic pesticides, agriculture-driven habitat destruction, and worsening climate change.
Deadly pesticide-coated seeds are killing pollinators
Although many pesticides contribute to pollinator declines, those most commonly linked are a group of nicotine-based insecticides called neonicotinoids. Modeled after nicotine, neonicotinoids interfere with the nervous system of insects, causing tremors, paralysis, and eventually death.
Neonicotinoids are the most widely used insecticides in the world and are often applied to seeds before planting. As the plant grows, they are absorbed and transported through all parts of the plant tissue. Honey bees and other pollinators are exposed to these toxic chemicals through pollen, nectar, dust, dew droplets on plant leaves, and in the soil where many native bee species nest.
Neonicotinoids are so toxic that one treated corn seed contains enough insecticide to kill over 80,000 honey bees. Despite their deadly effect, these seeds are exempt from regulation through a loophole—one that the Center for Food Safety has been fighting for nearly a decade to close.
Pesticides are driving monarchs to extinction
Monarch butterflies are one of the most beautiful and iconic insects in the world, and they are in serious trouble. Why? In part because a significant portion of their breeding habitat is being destroyed by herbicides used on genetically engineered (GE) crops. These pesticides, like glyphosate, don’t kill monarchs directly, but they kill milkweed—the only plants monarch larvae will eat.
That’s why Center for Food Safety, alongside the Center for Biological Diversity and Xerces Society, petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to protect monarchs under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In a victorious response, FWS agreed to grant monarchs ESA protections, but this process is still being finalized. By protecting these iconic butterflies, we’ll also be protecting their habitat and the other species that share it.
Take action
- Sign on to Dr. Bronner’s and Center for Food Safety’s petition to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Fish and Wildlife Commission, urging these agencies to collaborate on protecting pollinators by finalizing the listing of monarchs as endangered as soon as possible while also taking action on pesticide-coated seeds.
- Donate to the Center for Food Safety to help fund the legal, scientific, and policy work to protect pollinators.
- Consider applying for a Pollinator Habitat Kit from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
Pollinators are in crisis—and without them, our food systems and ecosystems cannot survive. From toxic pesticides to habitat loss, bees and butterflies are disappearing at alarming rates. Pesticides like bee-killing neonicotinoids cause direct pollinator die-off, while herbicides are decimating critical pollinator habitats, wiping out the wildflowers and forage they depend on.
That’s why Dr. Bronner’s is proud to stand with the Center for Food Safety (CFS), the nation’s leading public interest food litigators fighting to protect pollinators and our food system.
CFS has won landmark legal victories against dangerous pesticides, forcing our government to safeguard pollinators essential to life on Earth. But industry pressure is relentless—and the fight is far from over.
Join us today in defending pollinators and the future of our food. Together, we can make sure the bees—and all of us—thrive.
Cristina Muñoz also contributed to this article. As Dr. Bronner’s Senior Philanthropy Specialist, Cristina manages the Constructive Capital department’s product donation program, facilitates funding requests, and activations with nonprofit allies and campaigns.