Review of Bee Health

ST. PAUL—Rep. Dale Lueck, R-Aitkin, and other members of the Minnesota House Agriculture Policy Committee held a hearing Sept. 13 on Gov. Mark Dayton’s recent executive order regarding restrictions on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, a news release from Lueck said.

“Unfortunately the content and manner in which this order was announced created unnecessary confusion and uncertainty within the agriculture community that rely on neonicotinoids as an approved means of controlling insect damage to crops,” said Lueck, who serves on both the House agriculture committees — finance and policy. “Whether intended or not, the governor’s order left the perception with the media and farmers that neonicotinoids and their use by farmers are single handedly responsible for the decline in pollinators.”