We need to call on Amazon to help save the bees

These pesticides are potent neurotoxins. They attack bees’ brains, killing some bees outright while leaving others helplessly paralyzed or uncontrollably shaking.

They’re called neonicotinoids, or neonics for short, and they’re so devastating to bee populations that they’ve been banned in Europe. But in most U.S. states, a quick search on Amazon is all it takes to have them delivered right to your door.

How do neonics harm bees?

Neonics are relative newcomers in the world of pesticides. They first burst onto the scene in the 1990s — and their use has skyrocketed ever since.

Since their introduction, neonics have made America’s farmland 48 times more toxic to bees than it was just 25 years ago.

At the same time, we’ve seen flashing red warning lights for our bees. Honeybees just suffered their second-deadliest year on record. A quarter of North American bumblebee species are threatened with extinction.

At risk are the rusty patched bumblebee, which became the first-ever bumblebee to be added to the endangered species list; the American bumblebee, whose population has plummeted by 90%; and hundreds more.

With so many bee species suffering, Amazon can deliver a little relief.

What Amazon can do to help save the bees

Our national network is already making progress to save the bees — we’ve won policies restricting some of the worst uses of bee-killing pesticides in 10 states. And by calling on major companies to act, we can do even more for bees across the country.

Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer, with millions and millions of Amazon Prime members in the U.S. alone. It can single-handedly make a big difference for the bees.

Amazon can and should do its part to help save the bees — after all, it can sell a lot of things, but it can’t same-day ship a new species.

But to convince Amazon to stop selling neonics, we need to make sure the company hears from as many concerned Americans as possible.

Add your name to our call on Amazon to stop selling bee-killing pesticides.