Pollinator Protection Activities Update
May 20-21, 2020 Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee Meeting
Background:
• Pollinator protection is a priority for the EPA. Pollinator species are important
providers of ecosystem services and successful food production.
• EPA conducts pollinator risk assessments to support regulatory decisions for new and
existing pesticides using the best available science. To ensure that it has the best
available science for these assessments, the Agency has developed guidance to help
identify additional data that may be appropriate or needed and to outline review methods
for assessing impacts to beneficial insects {i.e.,honey bees).
• While the number of managed honey bee colonies has been increasing in the U.S. since the
mid-1990s, 9-yr average annual colony losses are at approximately 38% while the 13-year
average overwintering losses are at roughly 29% nationally. These losses underscore the
level of effort required by beekeepers to maintain colony numbers.
• The current understanding is that a complex set of interacting stressors have contributed
to declines in honey bee health, including loss of habitat, parasites and disease, genetics,
poor nutrition, bee management practices, and pesticide exposure. Although no single
factor has been identified as the main cause, varroa mites and the viruses they vector are
considered to be major factors in the declines in bee health.
• With the goal of supporting pollinators broadly, the EPA is addressing these issues on
three fronts: (1) improving the science for assessing risk of pesticides to honey bees; (2)
advancing management initiatives to mitigate potential exposure of bees to pesticides;
and, (3) fast-tracking the registration process for pesticides intended to control varroa
mites.
Managed Pollinator Protection Plans (MP3s):
• EPA is working with the states and tribes on pollinator protection plans which are
intended to increase communication and cooperation between stakeholders to reduce
exposure of bees to pesticides. For the most part, these are not regulatory programs but
instead rely on voluntary efforts at the local level so that different communities and
groups may work together and coordinate efforts.
• Plans can also include elements designed to enhance habitat for bees other than
honey bees {i.e., social and solitary non-Apis bees) and other pollinators.
• The American Association of Pesticide Control Officers (AAPCO) completed its
initial survey, of state lead agencies evaluating the effectiveness of MP3s toward
reducing exposure of bees to pesticides, as recommended in 2017 by the Pesticide
Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC) "pollinator protection plan metrics
workgroup." The survey is planned to be conducted biennially. In February 2020,
the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) presented to the AAPCO national meeting
its strategy to utilize AAPCO survey data as a line of evidence for evaluating the
efficacy of MP3s at a national level.
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Key Goals and Next Steps Concerning Pollinators:
• Review and respond to public comments submitted on the neonicotinoid pollinator
risk assessments and Proposed Interim Decisions that were published in January
2020\ and complete the Interim Decisions for these active ingredients.
• The AAPCO survey data serve as one line of evidence with which OPP will assess
the national impact of efforts to mitigate potential exposure of pollinators to
pesticides.
Survey results identified three main focus areas that states/tribes have
indicated for continued improvement as a result of their efforts to protect
pollinators: 1) expanding the scope of MP3s, 2) updating training
manuals to include methods to protect pollinators, and 3) enhance bee kill
incident reporting.
• Continue to promote pollinator health and serve as a resource to those interested in
pollinator protection.
• Continue to interact, engage, and communicate with states/tribal nations about ongoing
pollinator efforts through attendance and discussions at meetings and teleconferences
(e.g., State FIFRA Issues Research Evaluation Group (SFIREG) full committee
meeting, June 1-2, 2020).
• Develop/execute a pollinator webinar series to address: 1) improving habitat (Creating
Monarch Habitats in Schools and Communities March 2020), 2) advancing the science
of assessing risks to bees from pesticides, 3) engaging stakeholders, and 4) mitigating
risks.
• Coordinate with USDA to host USD A/EPA State of the Pollinator Science Workshop.
• Work toward advancing critical policy goals to promote the health of honeybees and
other pollinators.
1 https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/schedule-review-neonicotinoid-pesticides
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