To the Editor:

I am hopping mad. I went to a local garden center for annuals to spruce up my containers. At checkout, I asked if the plants had been sprayed with pesticides, particularly those that contain neonicotinoids (neonics for short), which kill pollinators. Thus began a back-and-forth conversation by two-way radio between the cashier and a person on the plant care staff. The answer was a qualitative "Yes," but only when the plants showed signs of an infestation or fungus. Which products did they use? I was given the name of one product, and just the maker of another. The staff didn't know about whether neonics were in the two products mentioned.

I decided to buy the plants. At home I researched the active ingredients of the one product whose name I was given (Bayer 3 in 1), and, indeed, it has imidacloprid in it, a neonic. I can only hope that the plants I bought weren't sprayed.

Neonics are heavily used nationwide, not only by nurseries and garden centers, but also by agribusiness and lawn care companies. They are systemic, meaning that they stay in the plant's tissues for the lifetime of the plant.

So I learned a big lesson - always check with the seller about how their plants are treated (ideally contact the manager or owner) prior to purchasing. But getting this kind of information is really difficult, not only because of uninformed staff, but also because even plant sellers may not know how their plants were treated by suppliers.

I thus urge nurseries and garden centers: clearly identify plants that have been treated with pesticides, and accurately label them with the active ingredients used. Train your staff to know the laws about spraying neonic pesticides, and to provide information to customers.

Recent Connecticut legislation has limited the retail sale of neonics, but professional pesticide applicators have very few restrictions. However, the new law prohibits the use of four specific neonics on any plants in bloom, except for those in a nursery setting where pollinators do not have access.

Pollinators and other beneficial insects are all in serious decline. The monarch butterfly is at less than ten percent of its normal population levels. Honeybee colonies suffer huge die-offs each year.

Seventy-five percent of our food products depend on pollinators. But the widespread decimation of insects also affects birds that eat insects, as well as many other contributors to a healthy ecosystem. Through the use of these chemicals we are threatening the precious balance of nature.

I am a member of Protect Our Pollinators, a local group who can provide much information on natural pest control and many other topics. Please see propollinators.org for more information, including products that contain neonics. Other good resources are the national groups Beyond Pesticides and Xerces.

So, homeowners and gardeners, beware. Source your plants carefully, ask your landscape contractors about the products they are using on your property, and try to avoid using pesticides. The well-being of us all hangs in the balance.

Sarah W. Middeleer

7 South Main Street, Newtown        July 26, 2017