As a Maryland beekeeper, I could not be more pleased with the 2016 Legislative Session. As I’m sure you’ve heard, Maryland passed
historic legislation called the Pollinator Protection Act, which bans a class of bee-killing pesticides called neonicotinoids (a.k.a.neonics).
I’ve been involved with the bill since it was drafted because we have seen a sharp increase in bee hive collapses in the past several years. Maryland lost over 60% of its hives in 2015, and 50% in 2014. The numbers leapt from 20% hive losses in 2013. And that’s why it was so important that Maryland passed the Pollinator Protection Act last year. It could not have come at a more critical time to help our suffering pollinators.
Numerous studies have found that neonicotinoids harm bees, birds, butterflies, and other pollinators, which we depend on to pollinate one in three bites of food we eat.
The Pollinator Protection Act will make sure that home gardens, and our families, are protected from these dangerous pesticides by taking them off store shelves by January 1, 2018. The work done by the Smart on Pesticides Coalition, Maryland Pesticide Network and longtime advocate, Ruth Berlin, was essential in this victory. This is an important protection for the bees, our bay, and our families.
My fellow beekeepers and I look forward to meeting you then.
Bonnie Raindrop
Central Maryland Beekeepers Association