Banning Insecticides That Harm Bees and Other Pollinators (H.R. 5015)

What is H.R. 5015?

(Updated February 15, 2020)

This bill would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to suspend the registration — i.e. halt the sale and distribution — of plant, tree, and soil insecticides that bees are attracted to. It would bar the use of these products until the EPA has determined that they will not cause unreasonable harm to "pollinators." Pollinators in this case are defined as native bees, honeybees, birds, bats, and other species of beneficial insects.

Determining the effects of these insecticides on pollinators would be based on:

• An evaluation of the published and peer-reviewed scientific evidence on whether the use of these insecticides has adverse effects on pollinators.

• A field study supervised by the EPA Administrator that evaluates residues, annual residual build-up, chronic low-dose exposure, and the cumulative effects of multiple chemical exposures.

This bill would prohibit the EPA Administrator from lifting the ban on the insecticides listed in this act until the study has come to solid conclusions. The insecticides in question are used for seed treatment, soil application, and foliar treatment on bee attractive plants, trees, and grains; imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, dinotafuran, and any other members of the nitro group of neonicotinoid insecticides.

The Secretary of the Interior and EPA Administrator would be required to monitor the health and population status of native bees in annual public reports to Congress, and identify the scope and likely cause of unusual native bee mortality.

Argument in favor

Suspending the use of these insecticides until the EPA can determine if they are killing bees is a wise move that could save a vital asset to our environment, and the country’s agriculture industry.

Argument opposed

Bees are dying everywhere, not just in places where insecticides are used. Finding out the cause of the bee deaths makes sense, but hurting the agriculture industry in the process is foolish.

Impact

Bees and other pollinators under this act, people who use insecticides covered in this legislation, the EPA, the Department of the Interior, and the EPA Administrator.

Cost of H.R. 5015

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced this bill to ban insecticides that threaten bees and other pollinators until the Environmental Protection Agency ensures they don’t harm pollinators:

“The health of our food system depends on the health of our pollinators. The status quo is like flying blind — we shouldn’t be using these pesticides when we don’t know their full impact. The EPA has a responsibility to get to the bottom of the issue and protect pollinators.”

Tim Hiatt, co-owner of Hiatt Honey Co. which is one of the largest beekeepers in Washington state, said that this bill goes too far relative to honeybees, but acknowledged a ban could help native pollinators:

“Neonics are insecticides, and bees are insects, so sloppy or careless application kills bees. But the majority of applicators use caution and don’t cause major acute kills. More judicious use of neonics would help beekeepers combat sub-lethal effects, which shorten the life of bees and colonies. But an outright federal ban is an overreaction as it relates to honeybees. States should assess the impacts to honeybees in their states and take appropriate action.”

This legislation has the support of 43 cosponsors in the House, all of whom are Democrats.

Of Note: High rates of bee mortality have created a worrying trend within the U.S. economy. Honey bees help pollinate nearly $15 billion worth of agricultural crops, and pollinators in general pollinate over $24 billion. The loss of bees has forced farmers to turn to pollination services — basically rental bees — which can raise costs by as much as 20%.

The causes of bee deaths have been attributed to several factors, including diseases and viruses. Additionally, the mysterious colony collapse disorder has befuddled researchers as to its cause. Colony collapse symptoms involve bees abandoning their hive and not warding off pests that invade the hive. This leads to the death of the next generation of the hive’s bees, exacerbating the problem.

Researchers have indicated that it will be very difficult to identify if insecticides are negatively impacting bees, as there are other chemicals found in beehives unrelated to insecticides that could also be damaging to their health. Fewer bees died in the winter of 2013 than in the prior year, with only 23.2% of honey bee colonies dying off compared to 30.5%. This could indicate that the problem could be too complex for us to solve.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) Press Release
  
• Capital Press