Italy’s Most Loved Fish is High in Arsenic, but Here’s How to Purify It! Garden and Terrace Plants: Pesticides Found in Almost All Samples, Here’s the Test
You may have, in all good faith, purchased a plant from a nursery or supermarket without knowing that it might have been treated with pesticides. A recent study conducted by BUND (in collaboration with the Austrian organization Global 2000), a German non-governmental organization dedicated to nature and environmental conservation, has revealed some alarming results.
The study focused on the potential presence of pesticides in dozens of samples of ornamental plants purchased from various outlets in both Germany and neighboring Austria. The results are far from encouraging and could be described as catastrophic.
Almost all the samples examined (42) contained pesticides, with an average of just over 7 different substances found in each sample. In 40% of the analyzed samples, substances endangering the survival of bees were detected.
In total, 64 pesticides were found, with eleven being highly toxic to bees. This research suggests that the majority of plants available in German nurseries (presumably applicable to Italy as well) can be highly toxic to bees.
Pesticide Expert’s Insight Corinna Hölzel, the pesticide specialist at BUND, states:
“Cultivating ornamental plants has catastrophic effects on bees and other insects. Consumers want to save bees and stop the death of insects, and they buy flowers advertised by retailers as bee-friendly. The problem is that plants like sunflowers, lavender, or hyacinths may contain residues of pesticides harmful to bees. Bees absorb harmful toxins through nectar and pollen, turning the desired bee rescue into a poisonous trap.”
Moreover, according to BUND’s research, in 40% of plants containing highly toxic substances for bees, the detected pesticides are not even allowed in the European Union.
Corinna Hölzel expresses her views bluntly: “It is scandalous that European producers sell pesticides to countries in the Global South, which are no longer allowed in Europe due to the danger they pose to people and the environment. They are used there, for example, in the cultivation of ornamental plants, endangering workers and polluting the environment. The toxic cycle closes when EU member states import ornamental plants containing such pesticides without EU approval.”
It’s worth remembering that in 2021, Global 2000 and BUND had already analyzed “bee-friendly” plants, verifying the presence of harmful pesticides. The 2022 results tell us that the situation has not improved at all.
The only way we as consumers can truly defend bees is by buying plants only from organic and untreated agriculture.
