US's Minn. agency to review insecticide use

Two US’s Minnesota state agencies are working on ways to make the environment healthier for bees.

In a report to the Legislature, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture will detail its plan to review the use of a popular insecticide linked to bee deaths. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is developing guidelines to improve the habitat for pollinating insects.

The issue is also likely to be a hot topic during the upcoming Legislative session because pollinating insects are important to agriculture. In recent years, they have become victims of a perfect storm. There are fewer flowering plants on the landscape, which affects insect nutrition. Honeybees suffer from persistent disease problems. Another serious threat comes from the neonicotinoid insecticide.

In the past several years, more than a third of the nation’s honeybee population has died each year, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.