A bill restricting the use of a certain class of insecticide will have a formal hearing Monday afternoon in the Oregon legislature. KLCC’s Brian Bull has more.
They’re called neonicotinoids. They’re available in many stores for home gardeners. But backers of Senate Bill 929 want it classified as a “restricted use pesticide”. This would mostly limit its sale and use to licensed applicators, including commercial farmers and veterinarians.
Krystal Abrams is with the environmental organization, Beyond Toxics, based in Eugene. The group backs the bill.
“We would like to see less of these toxic pesticides in our water and our soil, affecting all of our insects at the bottom of the food chain," Abrams tells KLCC.
"‘Cause right now, anybody can go out to Bi-Mart or Home Depot, and buy a bottle of neonicotinoid-containing pesticides, often without any education on how to properly use it.”
Beyond Toxics says improper use of neonicotinoids killed nearly 100,000 bumble bees in 2013 and 2014. The incidents happened in several places, including Eugene and Beaverton.
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