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Table of Contents
Introduction
Introduction
Types of Pesticides
Types of Pesticides
Fungicides
Herbicides
Insecticides
Systemic Insecticides "are often used to attack herbivorous insect species, but widespread use of these chemicals is linked to serious effects on ecosystems."
Impacting Pollinators
Impacting Pollinators
"Pesticides are commonly used in urban and agricultural environments to kill invertebrate pests, diseases, and weeds. However, many pesticides - including insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides - harm pollinators and other beneficial insects. Their effects include removing important floral resources, causing subtle yet concerning effects on reproduction, navigation and memory and high-profile incidents when pesticides kill bees. Exposure to pesticides can also compound the effects of other stressors on pollinator populations, such as loss of habitat and exposure to pathogens and diseases.
Pesticide contamination is wide-spread. More than 90% of pollen samples from bee hives in agricultural landscapes and more than 90% of stream samples are contaminated with more than one pesticide. It is critical that we work simultaneously to reduce use of pesticides and to minimize the risk of pesticides to pollinators where pesticides are used." - Xerces: Risks of Pesticides to Pollinators
Harm to Human Health
Harm to Human Health
Impact on Health of Farmers
Impact on Health of Farmers
Ingredients such as mercury can cause harm to farm workers, consumers, and wildlife.
Endangering Wildlife & Habitats
Endangering Wildlife & Habitats
Aquatic Ecosystems
Aquatic Ecosystems
Rain and snowmelt wash pollution including pesticides into ponds, lakes, and waterways that eventually flow out to our oceans. All along the way this negatively impacts fish, beneficial insects, and many other organisms. Impacts can be small at first, working up the food chain over many years, while other times causing mass mortality events all at once.
Solutions
Solutions
Alternatives to Chemical Pesticides - Gardens & Farms
Alternatives to Chemical Pesticides - Gardens & Farms
Non-Lethal Pest Control
Non-Lethal Pest Control
Prescribed Fire
Prescribed Fire
Instead of herbicides, prescribed fires can provide a variety of benefits to the land including the burning away of invasive weeds, and promoting the germination of seeds that have adapted to live in fire-prone landscapes. Ash from fires can feed the soil, providing the correct pH balance for certain species. Burning away excess plants early in the season also helps prevent massive, out-of-control fires during hotter parts of the year.
Laws & Policies
Laws & Policies
Xerces Model Policy to Protect Pollinators from Harmful Pesticide Exposures "There’s a lot that can be accomplished to spur common-sense policies that address pollinator habitat and pesticide use at the local level. Across the country, cities such as Boulder, Colorado have introduced policies to protect pollinators at the city or municipal level.
You can work with your city council or local government to introduce a similar policy to make your community more pollinator-friendly. Xerces is often asked what a local policy should include, in response we created a model policy to protect pollinators by improving habitat and preventing harmful pesticide exposures."
EU Laws
EU Laws
"In the EU, the sale and use of pesticides based on mercury compounds for plant protection are prohibited by Directive 2009/128/EU and its amendments. This also applies to seed treatment.
The prohibition of the manufacture, export and import of mercury added biocides, after 31.12.2020, is covered by the Mercury Regulation (EU) 2017/852 which complements a large body of existing EU environmental law on mercury." - Zero Mercury: Pesticides
Resources
Resources
General
General
Systemic Insecticides "are often used to attack herbivorous insect species, but widespread use of these chemicals is linked to serious effects on ecosystems."
Aquatic Ecosystems
Aquatic Ecosystems
Ecologically Sound Mosquito Management in Wetlands "An overview of mosquito control practices, the risks, benefits, and non-target impacts, and recommendations on effective practices that control mosquitoes, reduce pesticide use, and conserve wetlands."
Garden Ponds
Garden Ponds
Backyard Ponds "Guidelines for Creating & Managing Habitat for Dragonflies and Damselflies"
Beneficial Insects
Beneficial Insects
Protecting Pollinators
Protecting Pollinators
Protecting Pollinators from Herbicides "Though insecticides pose the most obvious risk to bees and other pollinators, this factsheet focuses on herbicides because they too can be harmful. Learn about herbicides, their risk to pollinators, their use cases, and alternative solutions to manage weeds and unwanted plants."
Managing Roadsides and Rights-of-Way for Pollinators "With more than 10 million acres of land in roadsides in the United States alone, transportation rights-of-way are a significant, yet often overlooked resource for pollinator conservation. In landscapes denuded of natural areas by agriculture or urbanization, roadsides, utility easements, and other rights-of-way are an increasingly important component of regional habitat networks. They can support native vegetation, provide refuge for wildlife and connect fragmented habitat."
Plant Nurseries
Plant Nurseries
Xerces: Buying Bee Safe Plants (PDF) "Creating a welcoming home for local pollinators in your home garden or city park habitat is reason enough to choose plants free from harmful pesticide residues. Nurseries are more likely to make investments in pollinator-friendly production if their customers make it clear this is what they want. Our guide, Buying Bee-Safe Plants, covers four ways to help you find plants that are safe for bees, and includes tips and questions to use at the nursery."
Xerces: Offering Bee Safe Plants Guide for Nurseries (PDF) "Three core elements of pollinator-friendly growing include using non-chemical methods to prevent and manage pests, monitoring of pest pressure, and limiting risk to pollinators if pesticides are used. These concepts are rooted in integrated pest management and are familiar to most growers. Offering Bee-Safe Nursery Plants: A Guide for Nurseries explains these concepts further and was created for wholesalers and retailers to explore, encourage, and implement pollinator friendly pest-management in the nursery business."
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes
Xerces: Effective Mosquito Management "It’s understandable why, in the face of a mounting health crisis, communities and health organizations scramble to prevent outbreaks by any means necessary. Spraying may seem like a quick way to soothe the public’s nerves, but as a strategy for controlling mosquitoes, it’s a blunt and ineffective tool. Widespread application of adulticides creates a false sense of security while causing many unintended and far-reaching consequences. Through the application of common-sense protocols and proactive planning, effective mosquito management that limits impacts on the environment is possible."
How to Help Your Community Create an Effective Mosquito Management Plan "This guide will help you learn more about mosquitoes and the diverse wetland communities in which they play an important part, and give you the resources and information you need to work for the adoption of safe, effective methods of mosquito management in the places where you live and play."
Organizations
Organizations
International
International
Xerces "The vast majority of invertebrates serve vitally important roles in a healthy environment, including controlling pests, pollinating flowering plants, and providing food for other wildlife. Only a very small number of invertebrates are pests. Yet, the pesticides designed to control unwanted plants and animals rarely distinguish between beneficial invertebrates and those which cause harm. All too often pesticides cause unintended consequences and disrupt the natural systems that sustain us. But, because pesticides are valued for their toxicity to pests, the risks they pose are often accepted—even when healthier, more sustainable options are available.
As part of the Xerces Society’s conservation efforts we strive to reduce reliance on pesticides by supporting the diverse systems that reduce pest problems. Xerces’ staff is sought after to translate complex science so that farmers, backyard gardeners, agency staff, and policy makers can make informed decisions about pesticide use and regulation. And by providing on-the-ground technical support we are increasing the adoption of ecologically sound pest management practices everywhere."
North America
North America
USA
USA
Bee Campus USA "brings college communities together to sustain pollinators by increasing the abundance of native plants, providing nest sites, and reducing the use of pesticides. Affiliates of Bee Campus USA also work to inspire others to take steps to conserve pollinators through education and outreach. Learn how your college can join Bee Campus USA."
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