Home Depot has successfully removed neonicotinoid pesticides, a leading driver of global bee population declines, from 80 percent of its flowering plants. The world's largest garden supply store further stated that it aims to completely stop the use of the chemical in its plant products by 2018.
The decision was spurred by the efforts of groups like Friends of the Earth, which has urged the home-improvement giant to stop supporting plants treated with the insecticide, reported eNews Park Forest.
Lisa Archer, Food and Technology program director at Friends of the Earth U.S., believes that Home Depot's announcement is a huge step forward. However, she also believes that the company could still do so much more.
"Home Depot's progress in removing neonics shows it is listening to consumer concerns and to the growing body of science telling us we need to move away from bee-toxic pesticides. However, we know that Home Depot and other retailers can do even more to address the bee crisis," she said.
"Along with allies, we will continue to challenge retailers to engage in a race to the top to move bee-toxic pesticides off their shelves and out of garden plants as soon as possible. Bees are the canary in the coal mine for our food system and everyone, including the business community, must act quickly to protect them," Archer added.
Neonicotinoid pesticides are part of what are called systemic class insecticides, which means that the chemical is found not only in the surface of the plants, but in their stems, roots, flowers, and pollens as well. Thus, animals such as bees, which serve a very important role in the natural world, usually end up being the casualties of the deadly substance just by coming in contact with the plants, according to Take Part.
For its part, Home Depot has already started its efforts against the insecticide. After the release of a report by Friends of the Earth and the Pesticide Research Institute in 2014, the home-improvement giant announced that it would start requiring its suppliers to adequately label all plants treated with neonicotinoid pesticides by the fourth quarter of the year.
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