Bees are feeling the sting of toxic pesticides – it is time for a total ban

We all know that sugar is bad for us, but the industry’s use of chemicals is deadly for bees - so harmful that it is one of the biggest threats they face with terrible consquences for us all. It’s time our government stood up for nature and ban the use of the worst pesticides writes Anabel Kindersley

We’ve seen a 60 per cent drop in the number of flying insects over the past 20 years (Getty)

Approaching the first day of spring, things are feeling buzzy. Finally, some green shoots have appeared in my garden, and even more welcome is the discussion of bees in parliament. Specifically, MPs are debating the impact of pesticides on these essential pollinators.

We need bees. One in three mouthfuls of food globally depends on our pollinators, yet in many parts of the world, they are in a dangerous decline. Here in England, recent data suggests we’ve seen a 60 per cent drop in the number of flying insects over the past 20 years. You don’t have to be an ecologist or a mathematician to be concerned about the direction of travel.

Over a decade ago, I started getting involved in campaigning to save the bees, resulting in the ban of neonicotinoids, a particularly harmful category of pesticides, back in 2018. Whilst chemical pollution isn’t at the top of most people’s list of concerns today, a single teaspoon of neonicotinoid is enough to administer a lethal dose to 1.25 billion bees, which would fill four lorry loads with their dead bodies.