Major retailers nationwide are selling significantly fewer plants that have been treated with a controversial pesticide that critics say are harmful to bees, according to a new study.
The study issued Tuesday found that 23 percent of flowers and trees sold by five national retailers with garden centers contained meaningful levels of neonicotinoids, or neonics, down from slightly more than 50 percent in 2014. The study was spearheaded by Friends of the Earth, an environmental advocacy group, and the Pesticide Research Institute, an environmental consulting firm focused on pesticides.
“We think it’s pretty significant progress since we last tested two years ago,” said report co-author Tiffany Finck-Haynes of Friends of the Earth.
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