As I passed Wanczyk Nursery in Hadley last week, the block letters on the sign out front told me that June is National Pollinator Month. This celebration of pollinators, which includes bats, hummingbirds, butterflies and bees, reminds all of us how vital pollinators are to the environment and our lives. National Pollinator Month also offers an important reminder of the policy actions we need to take to save pollinators so they can continue to thrive and enrich our lives with beauty, wonder and awe.

No bees, no food

In the Pioneer Valley and beyond, pollinators are a critical component of natural ecosystems. As many as 75% of food crops and 90% of wild flowering plants rely on pollinators for reproduction. Without pollinators, many of the foods we enjoy — from strawberries, to coffee to apples — would struggle to reproduce.

Native bee populations are declining

Unfortunately, pollinators are not thriving, and many populations are being pushed to the breaking point. Bee species that were once commonplace in the Connecticut River Valley, such as the American bumblebee, are now rarely, if ever, seen in the wild in the Bay State. Nationwide, one in four bumblebee species is vulnerable to extinction. The reasons for this decline are multilayered. Scientists point to disease spillover from domesticated bee colonies, habitat loss — as roads, parking lots, buildings and lawns have replaced natural landscapes — and, more recently and most alarmingly, the widespread use of toxic bee-killing pesticides.

While many of us work to protect pollinators by avoiding pesticides, choosing native plants for our gardens, rewilding parts of our lawns and mowing less, our collective action won’t be enough unless our elected officials stand with us and join us in acting to save the bees. That’s why I stand with the thousands of Bay Staters urging Gov. Maura Healey to direct her administration to phase out the sale of seeds coated with bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides in the Bay State, a policy already adopted by our northern neighbors New York and Vermont.

Pesticides called neonics are devastating bee populations

Neonicotinoids, known as “neonics,” are a class of pesticides that are highly toxic to pollinators. Neonic production skyrocketed in the 2000s, in part because major companies such as Monsanto (now Bayer) began routinely coating the seeds of commodity crops with them. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that between 70-80% of corn, soybeans and cotton seeds are coated in bee-killing neonics.

When seeds are coated with neonics, the plant soaks up the pesticides as it grows, making the plant itself — the nectar, pollen, leaves, stems, and fruit — toxic to pollinators. Furthermore, neonics that aren’t absorbed into the plant remain in the soil, where they can then be carried over long distances by rain or irrigation water. A 2015 study by the U.S. Geological Survey found neonic pollution in more than half of the streams it sampled nationwide, with cascading ripple effects up and down the ecosystem.

Today, much of our agricultural landscape is inhospitable to bees and other wildlife. And, as toxicity goes up, pollinator numbers go down.

Put yourself in the bee’s shoes. For generations, your ancestors have foraged fields, hedgerows and bushes in an area. The land and the vegetation provided sustenance and shelter, and in exchange you pollinated local plants. But suddenly, everywhere you go to forage makes you and your family sick. You watch as your community gets ill, disoriented and then dies, poisoned by toxic pesticides. You start to wonder, where can I get food that won’t hurt me?

That’s what life has been like in America for bees for the past 25 years.

Gov. Healey can act to save the bees

When she took office, Gov. Maura Healey issued an executive order to set statewide biodiversity goals for 2030, 2040 and 2050. That’s admirable, but when it comes to protecting bees, we need to act with much greater urgency. Bees are being killed in vast numbers and if we don’t act, we could lose these vitally important species. The time is now for Gov. Healey to take action.

Tens of thousands of Bay Staters have already urged the governor to phase out the sale of neonic-coated seeds in our state; you can join them here. Widespread public support will give Gov. Healey added confidence to stand up to large agricultural interests and prioritize our collective future by saving the bees.

Unlike many human-caused environmental problems that can take centuries to reverse, most neonics persist in the environment for months, not years. If our state government phases out bee-killing pesticides and local initiatives to expand healthy pollinator habitats continue, our local landscape may once again sustain the American bumblebee and other native pollinators that make life in our beautiful valley even better.

Johanna Neumann of Amherst has spent the past two decades working to protect our air, water and open spaces, defend consumers in the marketplace and advance a more sustainable economy and democratic society. She can be reached at [email protected].