Protect bee populations in the UK by banning neonicotinoid insecticides.

We the undersigned, Demand that neonicotinoid insecticides products be withdrawn from general sale in UK supermarkets, hardware stores, garden centres and farm supply stores according to the Bees Act 1980. Anything that contains acetamiprid, imidacloprid, thiacloprid or thiamethoxam must be banned.

Neonicotinoid is a widely used farm pesticide first introduced in the 1990s that has caused significant changes to bee colonies and removing it could be the key factor in restoring nature's army of pollinators, according to two studies released in March.*

Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides chemically related to nicotine. Neonicotinoid imidacloprid is currently the most widely used insecticide in the world.* The use of some members of this class has been restricted in some countries due to evidence of a connection to honey-bee colony collapse disorder. The pesticide works as a neurotoxin by interfering with the transmission of stimuli in the insect nervous system.*

More information:
http://www.soilassociation.org/wildlife/bees/householdpesticides
http://www.pan-uk.org/home-garden/list-of-home-and-garden-pesticides-containing-neonicotinoids

Sources:
*http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/29/10921493-neonicotinoid-pesticides-tied-to-crashing-bee-populations-2-studies-find?lite
*Suchail, S., Guez, D. and Belzunces, L. P. (2001), Discrepancy between acute and chronic toxicity induced by imidacloprid and its metabolites in Apis mellifera. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 20: 2482–2486. doi: 10.1002/etc.5620201113
*Nicotinoid Insecticides and the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor, Tokyo: Springer-Verlag, pp. 71–89