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Daily News Blog

Archive for the 'Lawns/Landscapes' Category


10
Jul

Studies and Actions Advance Safer Management and Alternatives to Toxic Mosquito and Insect Control

(Beyond Pesticides, July 10, 2026) An article titled “The science of staying bite-free: Balancing natural essential oils, DEET safety and permethrin,” calls attention to insect management options and the subsequent consequences for health and the environment. “While DEET has long been the go-to standard for warding off bugs, concerns over its strong chemical scent, greasy feel, and ability to dissolve plastic gear and synthetic fabrics have driven a massive surge in alternative options,” the article says. The use of DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) dates back to 1946 when it was developed by the U.S. military and is the most common and widely used active ingredient in commercial insect repellents applied to the skin with a warning to wash off when indoors and take special precautions with use on children. Despite widespread use, long-standing and mounting scientific evidence finds adverse effects with exposure to DEET and other insect repellents like the synthetic pyrethroid permethrin. Health Risks While regulatory bodies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claim insect repellents are safe for the general public, research connects DEET and permethrin to a wide array of adverse health effects. Cases of severe reactions, such as neurological symptoms or seizures, have also occurred. Beyond Pesticides’ […]

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09
Jul

Habitat for Biodiversity In or Nearby Chemical-Intensive Agriculture Becomes a Deadly Trap, Study Finds

(Beyond Pesticides, July 9, 2026) In a study published in PLOS One, researchers identify “ecological cascades triggered by intensive, calendar-based pesticide applications,” resulting in “agricultural pesticide regimes [that] fundamentally restructure insect foraging networks through complex, poorly understood community-level pathways.” In comparing chemical-intensive apple orchards with adjacent pesticide-free cemeteries, this study documents the impacts on insect biodiversity with exposure to pesticides, noting that in areas without pesticide applications insect abundance and richness is higher and plant-pollinator networks are stronger. When applying pesticides during peak insect activity, apple orchards create ecological traps and insect pollinator foraging network disruption with cascading effects through the ecosystem that extend beyond acute toxicity. As the authors explain: “The resulting exposure drives sublethal behavioural changes, forcing insects into narrower dietary niches and collapsing the complex web of plant-pollinator interactions. The final outcome is a functionally homogenized insect community, stripped of its diversity and resilience.” To sustain ecological integrity and insect biodiversity, as well as the subsequent ecosystem services they provide, such as pollination, pesticide-free habitats are essential. This study adds to the wide body of science that supports the urgent need for a widescale transition to organic agriculture and land management. Study Importance and Background Nontarget and […]

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25
Jun

Registered Pesticides Toxic to Honey Bee Larvae, Study Finds

(Beyond Pesticides, June 25, 2026) In a study comparing pesticide active ingredients (isolated single chemicals) with full pesticide product formulations containing added ingredients (the packaged products that can contain carriers, sticking agents, emulsifiers, etc.), researchers find the full formulation to be generally more toxic. The research evaluates acute and chronic exposures of four mosquito adulticide active ingredients (AIs), three product formulations, and one biological larvicide pesticide formulation containing Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) on honey bee larvae in vitro and finds that three of the four exceed levels of concern (LOCs) set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA publishes Guidance for Assessing Pesticide Risks to Bees in which it identifies levels of harm. The scientists who conducted the study, published in Environmental Challenges, are based at the University of Florida and Auburn University. This study references Bti (Vectobac12AS) as the least toxic product, since the acute LD50 (lethal dose that kills 50% of the test population) is well below EPA-set LOCs. However, the study only focused on whether Bti harms honey bees. In contrast, there are some indications of its potential adverse effects on other beneficial insects, moths, and butterflies (see fact sheet here) and aquatic life, including studies […]

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24
Jun

Senate GOP Farm Bill Tees Up Fight Over Protections in Agriculture, the Environment, and Food Security

(Beyond Pesticides, June 24, 2026) Yesterday, Senator Boozman (R-AK), chair of the Senate Agriculture, Forestry, and Nutrition Committee, released the Senate GOP Farm Bill, the Agricultural Act of 2026, with provisions that undermine public and environmental health, according to farm, farmworker, and environmental advocates. Rather than investing sufficiently in organic agriculture and supporting farmers’ transition to nontoxic practices—in response to health, biodiversity, and climate crises, as well as the high cost of synthetic fertilizers—the bill reduces oversight of organic production by loosening inspection and certification requirements. “The bill, drafted without input from Senate Democrats, redefines underlying statutory standards, increasing dependency on petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture at a time when we urgently need to shift to sustainable and cost-effective agricultural and land management practices,” said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides, a national public interest group representing farmers, consumers, and environmentalists. “We are facing health and environmental crises, demanding leadership—not exhibited in this Republican Farm Bill—that ensures a livable future,” Mr. Feldman said. The text is largely the same as the version passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in April, the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567). The House vote made history when 73 […]

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22
Jun

#PollinatorWeek 2026: Join Beyond Pesticides for a Week of Activities and Actions

Image: Art of Life Page submission from Jesse Yow, “Honeybee Pollinating Citrus Blossom.” (Beyond Pesticides, June 22, 2026) National Pollinator Week, June 22-26, 2026, celebrates all pollinators and the ecosystem services they provide. With a theme of “Life on a Leaf… From Bloom to Buzz! An Organic Solution for Plants and Pollinators” and in recognition of the importance of pollinators and biodiversity to a healthy environment and healthy people, Beyond Pesticides announces a week of activities and actions!  Pollinators—bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and other organisms—make a critical contribution to plant health, crop productivity, and the preservation of natural resources, but their existence is threatened by pesticide-contaminated habitats! Throughout the week, we will suggest actions that you can take to promote the health of pollinators.   The first step is providing a safe place for pollinators to live, eat, reproduce, and take refuge from predators and adverse weather, which can include establishing pollinator-friendly plants as both habitats and food sources.  Monday—Juneteenth and Environmental Justice  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously stated, “All life is interrelated.” Justice for all people converges with the protection of biodiversity, health, and climate. If we are not protecting the most vulnerable in society, we ultimately adversely affect the entire society because all people are intricately linked through the web of life. By […]

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11
Jun

Adding to Wide Body of Science, Study Finds Pesticide Residues in Honey Bee Colonies Cause Acute Mortality

(Beyond Pesticides, June 11, 2026) A study of honey bee colonies in Florida and California, published in Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, finds elevated mortality from pesticide residues, including those that have been documented to threaten pollinators. As the authors describe, “While bees die from multiple, often interacting, stressors, here we show single contributors at levels capable of causing acute harm.” The presence of miticides, fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides within the bee colonies, including in the bodies of dying bees, further highlights pesticides as drivers of bee declines. By sampling both dying bees and in-house bees for chemical residues, the researchers are able to compare symptomatic colonies and control colonies. The authors note, “Our findings differ from previous screenings, which cast a broad net, screening agrochemicals in colonies nationwide, and not necessarily from impacted operations.” This study, however, shows the presence of specific pesticide residues in commercially managed colonies after die-off incidences. The neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid, in particular, is widely detected and found in high levels, with the researchers identifying the compound as the largest contributor to bee death. Background Scientific literature linking pesticides, including neonicotinoids, to adverse impacts on pollinators continues to mount, as do the devasting population declines of […]

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29
May

Widespread Multiple Pesticide Exposure with Adverse Effects Again Documented in Honey Bee Hives

(Beyond Pesticides, May 29, 2026) In a new study published in Environmental Pollution, researchers detected 15 currently used pesticides (CUPs)—including 10 pesticide compounds detected but not applied within the study’s managed fields— in the pollen of beehives in an environment meant to reflect a typical honey bee foraging range. The detection of pesticides that were not directly applied within the study’s target radius demonstrates the pervasiveness of pesticide drift into soils, streams, and bodies. In this context, public health and environmental advocates continue to call for a wholesale transition to organic land management. The findings are particularly concerning given the toxicity hazards to honey bees associated with pesticide exposure in this study and bolstered by other studies, resulting in documented threats to their health—as reviewed in this Daily News below. Methodology and Background Researchers at the University of Bern and Agroscope, the Swiss government’s agricultural research arm, conducted this research with agricultural land-use data for 2023 and 2024 from the Zurich (provincial/Canton) government. The study area was defined as a 2-kilometer radius around the hive placement site, with 4 active hives over the course of a two-year period (April 10, 2023, through May 3, 2024). The land use within the […]

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20
May

Elevated Oxidative Stress Damages Life-Essential Cell Function in Bees on Conventional, but Not Organic, Farms

(Beyond Pesticides, May 20, 2026) A study of two pollinator species, honey bees (Apis mellifera) and small carpenter bees (Ceratina calcarata), finds oxidative stress (OX)— an imbalance between antioxidant defenses and excess reactive oxygen molecules (species), or ROS—resulting from exposure to non-living (abiotic) stressors, such as synthetic chemicals, leading to cell damage. Regulatory bodies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), do not routinely evaluate oxidative stress as a standalone or required endpoint in standard pesticide registration protocols. In comparing pollinator responses to different pesticides and pest control management practices, the lowest levels of OX are exhibited in organically managed systems, as described in the research published in Physiological Entomology. Quantifying the oxidative stress levels in bees and their larval stages from three landscapes (conventional, organic, and roadside) shows that minimum exposure to agrochemicals and high traffic-related pollutants results in the lowest levels of OX. “Overall, these findings show that variation in pesticide residue profiles across landscapes is associated with different OX responses in bees,” the authors state. “Given the essential ecosystem services provided by bees, our findings underscore the urgent need for landscape-level strategies to reduce pollinator exposure to chemical stressors.” Background Oxidative stress occurs when there is a […]

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08
May

Developmental Neurological and Brain Damage in Children Intensifies Call for Ban of Organophosphate Pesticides

(Beyond Pesticides, May 8, 2026)  A study from Ecuador establishes for the first time the developmental pattern of nervous system toxicants—still widely used in agriculture, mosquito control, and landscaping—on healthy neurological and brain development in children. It is firmly established that widely used organophosphate pesticides are severely toxic to a broad range of organisms. In what’s known as their “classic” mechanism of action, they inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh), particularly in neuromuscular junctions in the brain. Not enough AChE leads to a buildup of ACh in motor neurons. Organophosphates deplete AChE, and an acute dose can paralyze the heart and lung muscles, causing death. Chronic exposures are implicated in numerous neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Beyond Pesticides’ Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management has detailed information on the organophosphates malathion, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and others. Acetylcholine and AChE are vital biological chemicals conserved across the animal kingdom, from humans to insects and everything in between. Yet there is no established baseline for normal levels of ACh and AChE in humans. Comparing biomarkers of organochlorine exposure with normal values would be a major step forward in assessing the influence […]

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06
May

Insecticides Gravely Threaten Honey Bee Gut Microbiome, Study Findings Expand on Previous Research

(Beyond Pesticides, May 6, 2026) Adding to the wide body of science highlighting the adverse effects of pesticides on pollinators, as extensively documented in Daily News and What the Science Shows on Biodiversity, a study published in Insects finds threats to Italian honey bees (Apis mellifera ligustica) following exposure to insecticides with contrasting toxicity levels. Both the high toxicity and low toxicity compounds impact honey bee gut bacteria and gut microbial composition, showing how even “reduced risk” insecticides can have sublethal effects and jeopardize pollinator health. As the authors point out, “Honey bees depend on a small but highly specialized community of gut bacteria that help them digest food, resist infections, and cope with environmental stress.” Because of this, chemicals that disrupt the honey bee gut microbiome can threaten their survival. In the current study, the researchers analyze two compounds to determine adverse impacts on honey bees’ gut microbiota: emamectin benzoate-lufenuron (EB-LFR), an avermectin insecticide with high toxicity, and RH-5849 (1,2-dibenzoyl-1-tert-butylhydrazine), a non-steroidal ecdysone agonist (mimicking the action of the insect molting hormone) and insect growth regulator with reported lower toxicity. The results reveal that both toxicity levels can harm gut microbial composition, with EB-LFR “associated with observed reductions in […]

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16
Apr

Pollinating Wild Bees Needed for Agricultural Productivity as Exemplified in Tomato Cultivation, Study Shows

(Beyond Pesticides, April 16, 2026) A study of organic tomato agroecosystems with managed and wild bees, published in Apidologie, affirms the importance of protecting natural systems to support organisms that contribute to crop productivity. The study finds that the strategy of introducing social bees, even those native to other nearby areas, to enhance pollination in open-field conditions provides no direct benefits to the crops that are better served by wild bees. In evaluating the addition of Melipona quadrifasciata stingless bees, not native to the study site, for assisted pollination of tomato plants cultivated in open organic fields, the researchers note that “the presence of M. quadrifasciata hives did not influence fruit quality, indicating that wild bees primarily drove pollination benefits.” This research, in assessing both wild and managed bees in organic tomato agroecosystems, supports previous scientific literature showing that promoting naturally occurring pollinators is the most sustainable and cost-effective strategy for ensuring pollination services. “This finding underscores the importance of conserving and promoting wild pollinator diversity in organic agroecosystems, as they play a critical role in sustaining pollination services,” the researchers affirm. They also say, “By offering a diverse range of floral shapes, colours, traits, and sizes, non-crop plants support […]

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18
Mar

Study Highlights Benefits of Organic Agriculture for Pollinator Health, Building on Existing Research

(Beyond Pesticides, March 18, 2026) Researchers in Germany and Brazil investigated the biodiversity of agricultural landscapes in organic and non-organic areas in “bee hotels,” finding that there is a positive correlation between organically managed fields and numerous indicators of improved pollinator health, including an “increase in bee abundance, species richness, and diversity.” This study, published in Global Ecology and Conservation, builds on the breadth of existing research in recent years that underscores the adverse public health and biodiversity effects associated with a food system that is drenched in synthetic chemicals, as well as additional evidence of the ecological and economic benefits of organic agriculture. Methodology and Results Research for this study “was conducted at 17 sites in the southern part of Germany, Baden-WĂĽrttemberg, including eight conventional and nine organic farming systems.” Researchers for this study are based at the Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics at Ulm University in Germany and the Laboratory for Bee Studies at the Federal University of MaranhĂŁo in SĂŁo LuĂ­s, MaranhĂŁo in Brazil. The authors signed a “declaration of competing interest,” stipulating that “that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in […]

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29
Jan

Neonicotinoid Insecticides Cause Deadly Overheating Behavior in Honey Bees, Study Finds

(Beyond Pesticides, January 29, 2026) A study of ecotoxicity risk from neonicotinoid insecticides, published in Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, finds that chemicals in this class of pesticides, particularly dinotefuron, increase the body temperature of Apis mellifera (European honey bee) and subsequently accelerate the translocation (movement) of contaminants into hives by the honey bees. The research indicates that neonicotinoids affect acetylcholine receptors in the nervous system, leading to an “elevation in octopamine titer [neurotransmitter/hormone] and subsequent increase in the body temperature of honeybees,” the authors report. They continue: “Furthermore, we observed a considerable upregulation [of] the expression of a flight gene flightin in honeybees. This gene accelerates the homing behavior of honeybees and facilitates the rapid and frequent transport of neonicotinoid pesticide-contaminated nectar to the hive.” In describing their results, the researchers state: “For the first time, we propose that neonicotinoid pesticides accelerate the homing ability of honeybees by affecting their body temperature, which leads to more neonicotinoid pesticides entering the hive and explains the prevalence of neonicotinoids and at higher concentrations in terms of their effects on the honeybee body temperature that enhances homing.” This accelerated movement of neonicotinoid pesticides into honey bee hives heightens the toxicity risks to honey […]

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28
Jan

Pervasive Pesticide Contamination of Beehives Across Europe, the First EU-Wide Study of Its Kind

(Beyond Pesticides, January 28, 2026) A study published last year in Science of The Total Environment reports widespread pesticide contamination collected from beehive monitoring across the European Union (EU). “This study has produced the first EU-wide distribution map of terrestrial pesticide contamination and demonstrates widespread pesticide contamination of EU environments,” the authors write. The study, led by a cohort of citizen-scientists, documents pesticide drift across the European continent. The results found that 188 of the 429 targeted pesticide compounds were detected in noninvasive, in-hive passive samplers (APIStrips) across 27 EU countries between May and August of 2023. This finding emerges at a time when public health and environmental advocates raise concerns about the European Union’s backtracking on commitments to reduce pesticide use by 2030, although the European Commission announced in July 2025 that “the use and risk of chemical pesticides has decreased by 58% by 2023 [from the 2015-2017 reference period], while the use of more hazardous pesticides fell by 27% over the same period.” Results The study results reveal that no landscape is safe from pesticide exposure, despite the European Union having better regulations in place than most other countries/regions. The researchers found: “There was no sample site where […]

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09
Jan

Two Dubuque Parks Transitioning to Organic Land Management in Iowa; Joining Communities Nationwide

(Beyond Pesticides, January 9, 2026) Beyond Pesticides is partnering with the City of Dubuque Parks and Recreation Department to adopt organic land management practices at two city parks, Jackson Park and Washington Park, with funding for technical support from Natural Grocers. The initiative aims to enhance soil health, reduce water usage, and create safer public spaces, while also addressing climate change and biodiversity issues. Click here to read a joint press release. Beyond Pesticides, through the Parks for a Sustainable Future nationwide program, collaborates with communities across the country to transition parks, playing fields, and public spaces to organic land management by providing in-depth training to assist community land managers in transitioning two public demonstration sites and the knowledge necessary to eventually transition all public areas in a locality to these safer practices. These demonstration sites serve as models for how sustainable land management is possible without synthetic, petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, showcasing the benefits of organic practices while addressing potential challenges in a manageable and cost-effective way.  “We are excited to be working with the City of Dubuque on organic land management practices that protect community health and the environment, including bees, butterflies, and birds, and support efforts to mitigate climate change and biodiversity decline,” […]

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06
Jan

Mixture of Common Pesticides and Environmental Stressors Dramatically Elevates Unregulated Adverse Effects

(Beyond Pesticides, January 6, 2026) Editor’s Note: We begin the new year with a clarion call for meaningful strategies to eliminate petrochemical pesticide and fertilizer use, based on the preponderance of science that documents both the hazards of their use and the abject failure of regulations in the U.S. and worldwide to accurately account for their harm to health and the environment. Over the holiday season, we have been cheered by letters to the editor, one from a pediatrician in Missoula, Montana and another from a student in Cedar Falls, Iowa, calling for the elimination of pesticide use in their communities. This call for action in communities targets the places where we live, work, learn, and play—where critical decisions on the use of poisons and contaminants are being made daily in our parks, playing fields, schools, open space, and other public properties. We have the tools to eliminate pesticide use with defined organic practices and compatible materials. We should accept nothing less. The scientific study we write about today (below) details an outrage of huge proportions, a synergistic effect of chemical interactions of widely used synthetic pyrethroid insecticides in combination with environmental stressors—resulting in adverse effects 70 times greater than when […]

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24
Dec

Holiday Wishes and Looking Toward Our Organic Future for the Common Good in the New Year

(Beyond Pesticides, December 24, 2025 – January 1, 2026) From the entire Beyond Pesticides team, we wish you happy holidays and a healthy new year in 2026! We hope this holiday season is filled with lots of organic gifts, organic food, and even organic Christmas trees for those who celebrate! Despite the current realities, our program and the people and organizations we collaborate with embrace optimism about the future—solutions are within reach and community-based actions put us on a path to meaningful health and environmental protection. Simultaneously, we recognize the need to respond to the serious magnitude of the crises that too many people are facing. We look forward to working with you in the new year to meet the severe environmental and public health challenges with organic solutions that eliminate continued use of petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers! Click above to see our A Year in Review for 2025, and check out our newly-released 2024-2025 Annual Report and 2-page summary! Our Mission While the threats of health, biodiversity, and climate crises grow exponentially, the solutions we have advocated for decades are now within reach. We know how to produce food and manage land without petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, as organic […]

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20
Nov

Hazardous Compounds Formed with Pesticide Use, Studies Find, But Overlooked in Safety Reviews

(Beyond Pesticides, November 20, 2025) Recent scientific literature finds heightened toxicity associated with pesticide metabolites, the transformation/breakdown products of the parent compounds, that threaten the health of the soil, wildlife, and humans. This research stresses the importance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) evaluating metabolites, which is currently insufficiently included in regulatory processes. In a literature review in Global Change Biology, the researchers point out multiple areas in which regulations fail to address key criteria, including metabolites, saying: “Pesticide risk assessments currently rely on surrogate species and focus primarily on acute lethality metrics, failing to capture the broader impacts on non-target organisms and thus biodiversity. Under the directives of regulatory agencies worldwide, this traditional approach overlooks the complex interactions between multiple stressors, including climate change, land-use shifts, and pesticide transformation products. Pesticide risk assessments must therefore undergo a paradigm shift to account for these complex interactions, which disproportionately affect insect pollinators, other non-target species, and biodiversity at large.” A metabolite is a breakdown product that forms when a pesticide is used in the environment and mixes with air, water, soil, or living organisms. All metabolites fall under the category of transformation products, which is the broader term for any […]

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19
Nov

Climate Change Threat to Ecosystem Management of Insects Focus of New Book

(Beyond Pesticides, November 19, 2025) In the book, Biological Control Systems and Climate Change, published this month, Danilo Russo, PhD—a speaker during the first session of our 42nd National Forum, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature—and other researchers add to the existing literature on the climate change threat to ecosystem services. Dr. Russo’s chapter, entitled “Impact of Climate Change on Bats Involved in Biological Control,” explains one of the lost benefits of ecological balance attributable to the climate crisis. As explained in the book: “In conservation biological control, habitats surrounding and within crops are managed to favour an increase in natural enemy populations while suppressing pest populations. These agroecological systems can be complex, and are affected by climate change.” The ability of climate change to influence the effectiveness of biological control systems is explored, showing the “effects on the large diversity of macro- and microorganisms involved in biocontrol, and the possible increase or decrease in pest outbreaks following changes in characteristics (morphology, physiology, behaviour….), distribution or phenology.” Dr. Russo is a full professor of ecology at the University of Naples Federico II, an international leader in bat research, and coauthor of A Natural History […]

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29
Oct

Renowned Intl Ecologist to Speak at Forum Today, Study Released on Bats, Beavers, and Biodiversity

(Beyond Pesticides, October 29, 2025) The latest research on bats and beavers, ecosystem services, and biodiversity adds to a wide body of science on the importance of a balanced ecosystem. In both the Bulletin of the National Research Centre and Journal of Animal Ecology, the researchers highlight the interconnectedness not only between wildlife species but to broader ecosystem functioning and human health implications. Researchers in the Journal article add to the growing body of science connecting an abundance of bat species in areas with established beaver dams, highlighting how interconnected wildlife is. The reporting on this recent research coincides with Beyond Pesticides’ 42nd National Forum, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature, scheduled for today, October 29. As the author of the article in the Bulletin of the National Research Centre, entitled “The complex web between environmental disruption, pesticide use, and human health: lessons from the bat crisis,” states: “The close relationship between environmental balance, biodiversity, and human health has long been a concern of science and public policy. Disruptions in ecosystems often trigger cascading effects that extend far beyond the original ecological imbalance, affecting agricultural practices, food security, and public health.” Bat Declines and […]

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09
Oct

National Forum To Convene on Pesticide Threat and Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature

(Beyond Pesticides, October 9, 2025) The 42nd National Forum Series, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature—scheduled to begin on October 29, 2025, 1:00-3:30pm (Eastern time, US), will focus on aligning land management with nature in response to current chemical-intensive practices that pose a threat to health (see Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database), biodiversity, and climate. The virtual Forum is free to all participants. ➡️ Register here. The Call to the Forum, states: We are all affected by how land is managed, food is grown, and nature is protected. Different experiences and perspectives may bring us to care about health and the environment and the devastating adverse effects of pesticides and toxic substances. However, ensuring a livable future requires us to cultivate a collective concern about daily decisions on the management of our personal and community spaces, the practices used to grow the food we buy, and the care that we as a society give to complex and fragile interrelationships that sustain the natural world on which we depend.   The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature challenges participants—as concerned families, community residents, purchasers of products, advocates for policy, decision makers, and workers—to think […]

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08
Oct

Report Highlights U.S. Cities Facing Pollinator Declines Due to Multiple Pesticide Exposure

(Beyond Pesticides, October 8, 2025) A study, Pesticides detected in two urban areas have implications for local butterfly conservation, published in partnership with researchers at Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, University of Binghamton (New York), and University of Nevada, reports widespread pesticide residues in the host plants of butterflies located in green spaces in the cities of Sacramento, California, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Just 22 of the hundreds of collected samples had no detectable residues, with all other samples containing some combination of 47 compounds of the 94 tested pesticides in the plant tissue. Of the 47 compounds, 4 are neonicotinoid insecticides linked to adverse effects for bee and pollinator populations based on previous peer-reviewed research. The fungicide azoxystrobin and the insecticide chlorantraniliprole were detected at lethal/sublethal concentrations, according to the report authors. “Residential landscapes have high conservation potential for butterflies and other invertebrates,” says Aaron Anderson, co-lead author of the report and pesticide program specialist at Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. He continues: “But, these findings show how pervasive pesticide contamination can be in towns and cities, and underscore that protecting wildlife in these areas includes addressing pesticides.” The report’s results underscore the pervasiveness of pesticide drift and dispel the myth […]

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29
Sep

After Celebrating Public Lands Day, People Call for Practices Safe for Health and Environment 

(Beyond Pesticides, September 29, 2025) With the theme “Our Home Outdoors,” the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) launched National Public Lands Day this past Saturday—defining this year’s event as follows: “Our public lands are more than just places to visit—they are woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. From the trails we hike to the parks where we gather with family and friends, these spaces are our collective backyard, our shared front porch, our natural playground.” At the same time, people are asking their local governments whether they are using petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers on their parks and playing fields that are known to threaten the health of children, pets, wildlife, and the environment. Beyond Pesticides led a nationwide action to “Tell your local officials to make your parks organic.”  For those engaging with their local elected officials and parks departments, Beyond Pesticides, through its Parks for a Sustainable Future program, offers technical support to transition parks to organic land management through analysis of soil health, development of a plan to improve soil biology to cycle nutrients for healthy plants, training of staff to implement the organic plan, and ongoing consultation for plan adjustments when necessary. Organic systems focus […]

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