CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – Every spring, farmers must decide how they are going to manage weeds, insects, and diseases that routinely attack crops and landscapes. When choosing crop protection tools, good stewards should consider both effectiveness and potential impact on the environment.

Growing Matters is a coalition of organizations and individuals that strives to educate about good stewardship practices and the benefits and alternatives of neonicotinoid (neonics for short) insecticides in North America. Protecting bees and other wildlife is a major part of good stewardship practices and that is why Growing Matters launched BeSure!, an initiative to support growers and applicators in accomplishing this important goal.

“This year and for the past five years, the BeSure! initiative has communicated stewardship and best management practices to applicators and users of neonicotinoid-based products,” said Darrel Armstrong, with Bayer Crop Science.

“If they’re using seed treatments or treated seed, we advise them to be sure that they’re reading their seed bag tags before using the product to understand any use limitations or restrictions that may come with that treated seed,” he said.

Farmers using neonics need to minimize dust that may occur from the planting operations, Armstrong said. They should use lubricants that can reduce the dust in their planting equipment. They should be sure that any seeds that are spilled or left on the surfaces are cleaned up or covered after the planting operations are completed to avoid potential exposure. Then they should properly dispose of leftover material so that it does not create exposure risks for pollinators or others.

“Neonics can also be used as foliar applications to help protect against different insects on different crops,” Armstrong said. “We want applicators to read the label of the product that they’re going to be applying, to make sure they clearly understand the instructions for that product.”

Those are the legal requirements for applying and using the product, Armstrong said. They provide important information about how the product should be applied to that particular crop and information about protecting the person doing the work as well as safety information for protecting the environment.

“That includes things like drift or making applications at certain times of the day to avoid the risk that they inadvertently expose pollinators to the application,” Armstrong said. “So, if the product is used according to the label the risk it would pose to pollinators can be largely mitigated.”

Neonics are a critical tool in the crop toolbox for pest control, using proper amounts in precise ways to prevent the damage from insect pests to those crops, Armstrong said. If farmers didn’t have neonics, they would have to risk the loss of crops because they may not be able to control the pest or they may have to use other products that are used later in the season and are less targeted. So, they pose a greater risk to other beneficials like pollinators.

“I think the key messages from the BeSure! campaign is we want to ensure that users understand that following the label is critical to protecting pollinators and making that safe application,” Armstrong said.

Those involved with Growing Matters are committed to scientific discourse on the stewardship, benefits, and alternatives of neonicotinoid insecticides in North America. The joint effort is led by Bayer CropScience, Syngenta, Valent U.S.A. LLC , BASF Agricultural Solutions, and Mitsui Chemicals Agro, Inc.