US's Oregon permanently restricts some pesticide applications to protect bees

US’s Oregon will permanently ban certain pesticides from being used on linden trees after a massive bee die-off in Wilsonville last summer.

In June, about 50,000 bumblebees were found dead and dying in a Target parking lot under linden trees that had been sprayed with dinotefuran, part of a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids.

An investigation into the incident won’t be completed until mid-December, Katy Coba, director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, recently told a legislative committee.

But ODA already has taken steps to protect bees from neonicotinoids, Coba said.

Immediately following the incident, ODA issued a temporary restriction on 18 pesticides containing dinotefuran . That ban expires Dec. 24.

And next year, products containing dinotefuran or imidacloprid sold or distributed in Oregon must have a label prohibiting their application on Tilia species, including linden and basswood.

“This is a fairly aggressive approach by the department,” Coba said.