Photo Credit: Simon Kadula
Deacon Tom Cervone, Ph.D. and Michael Cervone, B.S.
Our Planet Earth
Author’s note: This website encourages all children of God to act with “Care for Our Common Home.”
Introduction
Pesticides can be categorized as herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides. Neonictinoids (or neonics) are defined by Courtney Lindwall from the Natural Resource Defense Council (June 11, 2025) as a class of synthetic, neurotoxic insecticides that are used on agricultural crops, lawns, gardens, golf courses, and in flea and tick pet treatments. They were developed in the mid-1990’s, and are now the single most popular insecticide in the United States.
Neonicotinoids are troublesome and have been banned in Europe, and have restricted use in many states. In agriculture, they’re applied to coat the seed, but in the planting process, dust containing neonictinoids may drift from the farmland into adjoining habitats. They also may be applied as foliar sprays to control insects. Neonictinoids are very toxic at low concentrations to pollinators like bumblebees and butterflies, and since they are highly soluble in water and persistent in the environment, they can contaminate soil, groundwater, and nearby streams, affecting all life, including humans. Michelle Hampson reports from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (October 3, 2017), 75% of the honey samples worldwide HAVE TESTED POSITIVE for this pesticide as published in Mitchell, et al. on October 6, 2017.
We are concerned about such environmental contamination since bees have been dying at an alarming average rate of 62% between June 2024 and March 2025, which places our food commodities in potential jeopardy. Remember, one third of what we eat comes from pollinators.
At the end of this article is a YouTube video given by Professor Christy Morrissey addressing neonictinoids and their effects on wildlife, and a YouTube video given by Christian Krupke who has studied neonictinoids extensively. Let’s not poison our planet anymore with chemicals that kill indiscriminately. Lowe’s committed to phasing out neonicotinoid-treated plants, with 2019 as a goal. While it has worked with suppliers to reduce these, some consumers have indicated that treated plants and seeds still exist.
Similarly, in 2015, Home Depot committed to phasing out neonictinoid-treated plants by 2018–2019 and generally sells seeds labeled as neonicotinoid-free (such as Ferry-Morse seeds). However, while the company has made public commitments to reduce bee-toxic chemicals, reports suggest some inconsistencies in, or persistent concerns regarding, pesticide use on plants in retail. Most seeds sold at Home Depot, such as those from suppliers like Ferry-Morse are marketed as neonicotinoid-free. Home Depot has implemented labels on plants, indicating if they were treated with neonics. While the company policy restricts neonics on live plants, shoppers seeking to avoid them entirely sometimes need to check labels carefully or choose alternative retailers. Major garden retailers and seed companies that offer neonicotinoid-free seeds include High Country Gardens, Territorial Seed Company, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, and American Meadows. For plants, Annie's Annuals, and wholesalers supplying Home Depot (like Bell Nursery) have initiatives to be neonic-free.
The purpose of this article is to give an alarm call, just like Rachel Carson sounded in the 1960’s when she talked about "biocides," which could contaminate the food chain, kill wildlife, and posed cancer risks to human. We argue that if we continue to apply pesticides at today’s rate, we’ll be affecting the planet's biodiversity, our health, and our children’s. WE POINT NO FINGERS especially since many of us have played a part in this madness to control nature for our own convenience. In addition, many scientists from universities are giving environmental justice reasons to act. Judy Helgen from MinnPost (2/20/23) says, “We need to ban neonictinoids if we want to avoid a Silent Spring”, while Joanna Voight Will from the Kansas Rural Center (March 2016) wrote, “Putting the brakes on neonictinoid pesticide use,” which further emphasizes our need to control the use of pesticides.
What can we do?
Environment America promotes States to:
- Pass policies to regulate bee-killing pesticides by restricting the consumer sale of neonicotinoids
- Pass policies to restrict the sale and use of neonic-treated seeds
- Block the use of neonics on state land
- Ensure planting of pollinator-friendly plants along roadsides and on state lands, use native plants
- Allocate public funding for research into best practices regarding pollinator habitat protection
- Increase awareness of pollinator declines, e.g., specialty license plates
Environment America also offers additional ideas on managing pests without using these pesticides. They are:
- Choose native plants
- Take better care of your plants
- Invite in creatures that kill the pests
- Take a hands-on approach.
- Consider an organic, degradable pesticide
Weedkillers can also be harmful to bees and other pollinators. For dealing with weeds, here are some ideas:
- Pull out weeds
- Feed your plants well
- Use mulch around the plants
- Spray the weeds with vinegar. Be careful not to spray your plant, just the weed
- Cut down the weeds and keep cutting all season. Pick up the tops so they don’t reseed
- If you’ve got a weed in a sidewalk crack, pour hot boiling water on them
Most important:
(1) tell the retail store you will not buy neonictinoid plants and or seeds, and
(2) think twice before using any pesticide.
YouTube Videos on Neonictinoids:
Quote:
“We cannot win this battle to save species and environments without forging an emotional bond between ourselves and nature as well – for we will not fight to save what we do not love” - Stephen Jay Gould (1991)
Tom Cervone, PhD, is the founder, and Michael Cervone, B.S., is the programmer and designer of the “Our Planet Earth” website. We also thank Sister Maureen Houlihan, Daughters of Charity, Nicole Cervone-Gish, Ed., M.S., and others for their earlier help in developing this website.
Comments may be directed to ourplanetearth.eco@gmail.com Thank you!