How just a single seed can kill 80,000 bees

The widespread use of bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides in recent decades are largely responsible for a 48-fold increase in the toxicity of American farmland. Yet, U.S. farmers are still planting untold numbers of neonicotinoid-coated seeds across more than 150 million acres of American cropland—and just a single one of those seeds contains enough toxins to kill 80,000 bees.

The widespread use of neonicotinoid pesticides, or “neonics,” has quietly become the default in much of American agriculture. The majority, between 70-80%, of soybean, corn and cotton seeds are pre-coated with these harmful pesticides before they ever even reach the ground. Once planted, these deadly chemicals don’t stay contained. They move through soil, water, air, food chains and even plant tissues, creating widespread environmental contamination that threatens pollinators, birds, insects and other vital species—and with them, the ecosystems and food chains we rely on.

Unfortunately, a regulatory loophole has allowed the use of these toxic seeds to spread almost entirely unchecked. Because the neonic pesticides are applied before the seed is planted, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn’t regulate the coated seeds like other pesticides. Without proper oversight, testing or accountability, one of the most harmful pesticides  in the country has continued to see its use grow, despite the many risks it poses to essential species and habitats.  

#1: Planting

In the spring, farmers often use industrial equipment to plant rows of corn, soybeans and other crops. When these seeds are coated in neonics, even the planting process itself becomes dangerous. Air-assisted planters generate enough friction and force to scrape pesticide dust off the seeds, sending these dangerous particles into the air as a toxic cloud.

That cloud doesn’t just stay put. It can drift across fields, onto nearby flowers, gardens or habitats. Bees, insects and other pollinators flying through may breathe in or carry particulates back to their hives. Even short-term exposure to neonics can impair bees’ ability to navigate, forage or communicate. Repeated exposure can lead to exhaustion, paralysis and death. 

This traveling toxic cloud is likely to appear with planting each spring, right when pollinators emerge and begin foraging, creating a seasonal cycle of heavy exposure with widespread consequences.

#2: Leftover seeds

During planting, not every seed is successfully put into the soil, some are spilled or scattered across the surface, and for birds and other animals those seeds look like an easy snack.

But even a single neonic-coated seed can be lethal to a songbird. In one case in New Jersey, more than 200 red-winged blackbirds died possibly after eating neonic-treated wheat seeds. 

These leftover seeds may also be eaten by small mammals or insects that scavenge along the ground. While the full extent of this exposure is not yet known, the toxin load of just one coated seed is more than enough to harm, and even kill, most small wildlife. 

Because they retain their potency even when left behind, these stray seeds extend the risk well beyond the moment of planting. And without any cleanup requirements or regulations in place, they pose a persistent and serious threat to wildlife. 

#3: Toxic soil and water

Usually only about 5% of the coated-seed’s pesticides actually end up in the growing plant. The remaining 95% leaches out—soaking into the soil, running off into streams and ditches or accumulating in waterways.

This runoff contaminates the foundations of entire ecosystems. Ground-nesting bees, which make up the majority of native bee species in the U.S., may dig their nests directly into pesticide-laced soil. Aquatic insects like mayflies, dragonflies and midges, which form the base of many food chains, are highly sensitive to neonic exposure in water. Earthworms, critical to soil health, nutrient cycling and decomposition, show impaired reproduction and altered behavior after neonic exposure. 

In South Dakota and Minnesota, researchers have even found neonic contamination in white-tailed deer and their fawns, raising serious questions about how deeply these chemicals are permeating food chains and ecosystems.

What begins as just a seed coating doesn’t stay localized. It spreads, accumulates and disrupts wildlife and natural systems from the soil up.

#4: Flowering crops

When crops like soybeans begin to flower, they attract bees and other pollinators in search of resource-rich pollen and nectar. But when plants are grown from neonic-treated seeds, those resources may become tainted by pesticides. 

Neonics are systemic pesticides, meaning they are absorbed by the plant and distributed internally to every part of the organism—including the roots, stems, leaves, nectar and pollen. Pollinators foraging from treated crops are exposed not just once, but every time they visit, ingesting pesticides with each foraging event. Worse, bees may bring contaminated pollen back to their hives and nests, inundating their young with deadly chemicals before they ever even leave the hive. 

This contaminated pollen is especially deadly to our already struggling pollinators, who are currently facing a myriad of challenges from habitat loss, climate change and disease. This cocktail of threats can be compounded by neonic exposure, reducing pollinators’ access to safe food sources, while eroding the health of individuals and entire hives—accelerating further pollinator population decline.

#5: The harvest

After all this, the drifting clouds of toxic dust, poisoned wildlife, contaminated water, toxic pollen and collapsing pollinators … What do we get in return?

Turns out, not very much.

The EPA’s own research concluded that neonic seed treatments on soybeans offer “little or no overall benefit” in terms of yield. In some cases, yields actually dropped because beneficial insects and pollinators were killed off along with pests.

And those beneficial organisms matter. They include natural predators that keep pest populations in check, invertebrates that aerate and improve the soil, as well as pollinators needed for many fruit, nut and vegetable crops. 

Neonic-coated seeds aren’t just ineffective. They’re making farming harder, not easier, all while pushing ecosystems and species further out of balance.

What we’re doing to stop this

At Environment America, we’re campaigning to reduce the use of neonic-coated seeds (and neonics in general) while pushing for smarter, safer and scientifically backed agricultural practices. Here’s how:

• Closing the EPA loophole: We’re calling on the EPA to end the exemption that allows pesticide-coated seeds to bypass regulation. All pesticides, no matter how they’re applied, should face the same scrutiny.
• Calling for state-level protections: States like New York and Vermont have already passed laws limiting the use of neonic-coated seeds unless farmers can demonstrate a real pest problem. We’re urging other states to follow their lead.
• Banning retail neonics: We’re working to end the sale of neonics in home and garden products, starting with major retailers and producers.
• Educating lawmakers and the public: From changing your fertilizer to planting pollinator habitat in your garden—we’re sharing the science and solutions needed to help support our faltering pollinators.

We’re working to end our overreliance on these toxic seed coatings. From stopping retail sales to raising consumer awareness, we’re doing our best to reduce the devastating impact neonics have on our native pollinators and insects. 

A safer future for ecosystems and agriculture

Neonics may be small, often just some dusting on a single seed, but their impact spreads far past the roots of one plant. Neonic-coated seeds disrupt food chains, pollute soil and water, and kill off insects that countless other species, including us, rely on.

We can’t afford to treat these losses as acceptable side effects of crop production, especially when the benefits of these chemicals are so limited—or potentially nonexistent.

By phasing out neonic-coated seeds, we’re not just protecting bees and songbirds. We’re safeguarding food systems, restoring ecosystems and making our agricultural system more sustainable and healthy for the long term.

Together, we can end the use of these toxic seeds and make sure that the insects, pollinators and birds that make our world bloom, are still around to do their job for many more years to come.