A project of Save the Bees NCSave the Bees NC — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
Home / Chemical Dangers

Chemical Dangers to Pollinators

The chemicals in your lawn products and mosquito sprays are systematically destroying pollinator populations.

Neonicotinoids

What they are: The most widely used insecticide class globally, with over 25% market share. Includes imidacloprid, clothianidin, and thiamethoxam. They mimic acetylcholine and bind permanently to insect nerve receptors.

How they work: Systemic chemicals absorbed by the entire plant and transported to pollen, nectar, and guttation fluid — pollinators are exposed every time they visit a treated plant.

Found in: Agricultural seed coatings (virtually all U.S. corn seed), lawn grub treatments (GrubEx, Merit), systemic tree treatments, flea/tick pet products, many big-box garden center plants.

Effects on Bees

Even at field-realistic doses, neonicotinoids impair foraging ability and navigation, damage memory and learning, reduce brood development, weaken immune systems (increasing susceptibility to diseases like Nosema ceranae), and reduce queen and drone reproductive viability. An 18-year UK study found wild bee species on neonicotinoid-treated crops were three times more negatively affected than non-crop foragers. The EU banned three neonicotinoids for outdoor use in 2018; they remain widely used in the U.S.

Glyphosate (Roundup)

The most widely used herbicide in the world. While not directly acutely toxic to bees, emerging research shows it disrupts honey bee gut microbiome and weakens immunity to pathogens. More critically, it eliminates wildflower forage around agricultural fields and is responsible for the massive destruction of milkweed — directly driving the Monarch butterfly population collapse.

2,4-D — The Chemical That Made Clover a "Weed"

A selective broadleaf herbicide found in most "Weed & Feed" products and broadleaf weed killers. It kills clover, dandelions, violets, and virtually every flowering plant in a lawn — creating "green deserts" of pure grass with zero floral resources for pollinators. This is the chemical that killed clover in lawns in the 1950s–60s, leading the industry to rebrand clover from a beneficial lawn ingredient to a "weed."

Pyrethroids & Mosquito Spraying

Synthetic insecticides (bifenthrin, permethrin, cyfluthrin) used in residential mosquito spraying, lawn pest control, and perimeter treatments. These are broad-spectrum — they kill every insect they contact, including bees, butterflies, and fireflies.

NC-Specific: Your Neighbor's Spray Kills Your Bees

NC Cooperative Extension reports that a Xerces Society study found 100% of yards sprayed by private mosquito companies had pyrethroid levels high enough to kill beneficial insects. And 75% of neighboring yards — where no spraying was requested — were also contaminated by drift.

NC Mosquito Spraying: How to Protect Your Bees

  1. Register on BeeCheck: Free mapping service through FieldWatch where beekeepers register hive locations. Spray programs check before spraying. Register at app.fieldwatch.com
  2. Submit a No-Spray Request: Many NC counties (New Hanover, Dare, etc.) allow property exclusion from spraying.
  3. Sign up for spray notifications: Many counties offer text/phone alerts before spraying.
  4. Register with NC Apiary Program: Mandatory state registration through NCDA&CS.

Safer Alternatives

  • Eliminate standing water — the single most effective mosquito control measure
  • Encourage natural predators — bats, dragonflies, purple martins, tree swallows
  • Use Bti larvicide dunks/bits — kills mosquito larvae, non-toxic to bees and other insects
  • Consider garlic-based organic services — companies like Organic Mosquito LLC in the Triangle area

Save the Bees NCA Project of Save the Bees NC

DontSprayMeBro.com is an educational initiative of Save the Bees NC, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to pollinator conservation and beekeeping education.

Visit Save the Bees NC →