EPA announces new labels for pesticides linked to honeybee declines

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says new labels for neonicotinoid pesticides can protect honeybees by prohibiting their use where bees are present.

"Multiple factors play a role in bee colony declines, including pesticides. The Environmental Protection Agency is taking action to protect bees from pesticide exposure and these label changes will further our efforts," Jim Jones, assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in an EPA release Thursday.

The new labels will have a bee advisory box and icon alerting users to information on routes of exposure and spray drift precautions, the agency said.

The new labels will appear on products containing the neonicotinoids imidacloprid, dinotefuran, clothianidin and thiamethoxam, it said.

In May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the EPA released a comprehensive scientific report on honeybee health, showing scientific consensus that pesticide exposure was a significant stressor associated with honeybee declines, along with loss of habitat, parasites and disease, genetics and poor nutrition.