A petition with more than 12,000 signatures was delivered to the legislators on 25th July. The petition wants to push lawmakers for a ban on neonicotinoid pesticides across the state and hold hearings that address the threat to the continued welfare of bees. According to the activists, the United States recently experienced its greatest bee colony loss in 13 years.
Activists tend to use banner printing help to spread the message and make the public aware of their cause.
Erika Thompson, owner and founder of Texas Beeworks in Austin, works with colonies that house over five million bees. She is very good at working with them and is so comfortable in their presence that she is able to work with them without wearing protective gear. Thompson stated that:
“We need to ban neonicotinoid pesticides. If we can ban these pesticides, we’re going to start to see honey bees rebound and be healthier than ever.”
According to environmentalists from Environment Texas, the size of bee colonies drops by 40% every winter thanks to more than 350,000 pounds of neonicotinoid pesticides used on agricultural land in Texas in 2018. The loss of these bees will have adverse effects on the food chain because they are the primary pollinators for the foods that people eat.