![]() This is bad news for wildlife, because neonics are systemic in nature: a plant grown from a coated seed incorporates the toxins throughout every part of its structure, including the pollen and nectar bees feed upon. ![]() These pesticides are now so common that nearly 100 percent of all non-organic corn and a significant portion of crops like soy and wheat are grown from neonic-treated seeds. currently grows 90 million acres of corn with an average seeding rate of 30,000 seeds per acre, a back-of-the-napkin calculation suggests this crop alone harbors enough active ingredients to kill 216 quadrillion bees or the entire population of North America’s bird population 300 times over. Iowa State University estimates that a single treated corn seed contains enough active ingredients to kill as many as 80,000 bees or, according to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a jay-sized songbird. And yet, a month later, the EPA denied a petition calling for regulating the largest and most widespread use of the pesticides, citing a need for “additional information.” ![]() ![]() A recent evaluation published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - an agency originally created in response to Carson’ s work - concluded that roughly three-fourths of all endangered plants and animals are likely being harmed by neonics. ![]()
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