Toxic Acres

Since neonicotinoid insecticides were first introduced in the 1990s, U.S. agriculture has become 48 times more toxic to insect life, according to a new study in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One. The study is the first to quantify just how deadly neonicotinoids have made our agricultural lands for insect life by providing a way to compare changes in the toxicity of U.S. agriculture year-to-year.

The findings support the need to phase out neonicotinoids and invest in ecological farming methods like organic and regenerative agriculture to protect bees and other beneficial insects that are critical to food security and ecosystem health.