Garden centres should not sell plants which are harmful to bees, say shoppers

MORE THAN three-quarters of consumers believe that retailers should not sell plants grown with pesticides that are harmful to bees, a poll suggests.

Friends of the Earth said garden centres and other plant retailers were under increasing pressure to ensure that the plants they sell are free from pesticides linked to bee decline after the YouGov survey for the environmental charity found 78 per cent of the public agreed they should not stock them. The poll follows a study that found retailers are selling supposedly “bee-friendly” plants that contain high levels of dangerous insecticides.

Researchers bought 29 such flowers from five different companies, four major retailers and one local nursery and found all but two were contaminated with pesticides or fungicides and more than 70 per cent contained the controversial neonicotinoid chemicals which have been shown to cause significant harm to bees. Writing in the journal

academics from Sussex and Padova universities said: “Garden centres frequently market nectar and pollen-rich ornamental plants as ‘pollinator-friendly’.

“However these plants are often treated with pesticides during their production. There is little information on the nature of pesticide residues present at the point of purchase and whether these plants may actually pose a threat to, rather than benefit, the health of pollinating insects.”

B&Q announced earlier that all flowering plants it sold would be grown free from pesticides linked to bee declines as part of efforts to help wildlife. The findings coincide with launch of the annual Great British Bee Count, which runs until June 30 and aims to help people learn more about bees.