HB1431

We need to protect our pollinators.

I support this legislation as it protects bees and other important pollinators!

Please support! This is crucial to our state and our health! Thank you, Mrs. Martha Jaquith

Neonicotinoides are harmful to the bees and other insects. Without pollinators, we will have no food. We need to appreciate the fact that there are many beneficial insects, but pesticides kill them all. These chemicals are not good for the environment overall. Also, these chemicals are passed up the food chain in a process called biological magnification.

I have worked for many years to bring back pollinators. As someone who used to own a farm in Andover, I assure you that this bill is needed. Pollinators are in trouble.

I strongly support this Bill to restrict the use of highly toxic neonicotinoids. Neonicotinoids are applied primarily by agriculturalists (but also retailers of ornamental and native plants), to control destructive mites, aphids, and other “pesty” insect species. Not only are they highly toxic, but these poisons persist in roots, soil, and water bodies, residing in environments long after initial application. Their widespread and indiscriminate use threatens not just target species, but also myriads of non-target organisms, including essential pollinators - native bees, moths, and ants. Predatory insects such as wasps, ladybugs, and lacewings, who assist farmers by controlling pests, also suffer secondary exposure. Earthworms and beetle larvae that are very beneficial in gardens will die in the contaminated soil from application of the neonicotinoids.

We need to protect lakes in New Hampshire. They are a critical part of the state's economy.

I'm very concerned about the decrease in the number of pollinators (bees) in our country and in NH, and the decrease in the number of birds (by 25%). These decreases are directly linked to the use of neonicotinoid pesticides. I support restricting their use. We need pollinator populations to be robust and healthy for human survival (growing food!).

I volunteer to survey butterflies in the state. This bill supports the conservation needed to protect insects. Insects are essential to life. We need our bees, butterflies, moths, wasps and all the rest to sustain life.

Dear State Legislators of New Hampshire, I am writing because I support HB1431. I urge you to consider a statewide ban on neonicotinoid pesticides due to their significant and well-documented impact on pollinators and the broader ecosystem. Neonicotinoids, which are commonly used in agriculture and landscaping, have been linked to the decline of honeybees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects that are vital for pollination and maintaining biodiversity. Scientific studies have shown that even low levels of these chemicals can disrupt the navigation, reproduction, and immune systems of pollinators, leading to colony collapse and reduced crop yields. Protecting these species is essential not only for the health of our environment but also for the sustainability of New Hampshire’s agricultural economy. Furthermore, neonicotinoids can contaminate soil and water, posing risks to aquatic life and potentially entering the food chain. The persistence of these chemicals in the environment means that their harmful effects can last long after their initial application. By banning neonicotinoid pesticides, New Hampshire would take a proactive step toward safeguarding public health, preserving wildlife, and promoting sustainable farming practices. I believe that prioritizing ecological balance and the well-being of future generations is a responsibility we all share, and I respectfully ask for your leadership in making this important change.

NH Fish and Game classifies pesticides as a threat not only to wildlife, but also to their habitats and to our entire ecosystem. From the NH State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP): Pesticides are a significant conservation concern. The SWAP classifies them as pollution under the threat category “Agricultural and forestry effluents / Herbicides & pesticides.” The SWAP documents that pesticide use contributes to direct wildlife mortality, particularly among insects and other invertebrates (including impacts from neonicotinoids), and to habitat degradation through runoff, especially in streams, wetlands, and other aquatic systems. The plan's threat summaries describe herbicides and pesticides as among the most commonly identified threats to New Hampshire’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need, underscoring pesticide pollution as a statewide issue affecting both species and ecosystems. Please vote to restrict the use of neonicotinoid pesticides. Thank you!

even small amounts of poisonous chemicals intended for agricultural productivity have long lasting and pervasive side effects that will kill birds, bees and other small insects and permanently damage our enviroment

i raise perennials to attract pollinating bees and other insects. They provide food for birds, spread pollen for more perennials reproduction and pollinate fruit trees. I value the existence of all creatures.

Not only are these compunds highly toxic, but these poisons persist in roots, soil, and water bodies, residing in environments long after initial application. Their widespread and indiscriminate use threatens not just target species, but also myriads of nontarget organisms, including essential pollinators - native bees, moths, and ants. Predatory insects such as wasps, ladybugs, and lacewings, who assist farmers by controlling pests, also suffer secondary exposure. Earthworms and beetle larvae die in contaminated soil.

I am a community gardener here in Merrimack and it is an organic garden due to being in the watershed area of Naticook Lake. We are very excited when we arrive at the garden to see bees and butterflies or moths helping us by pollinating our plants for food. New Hampshire has many garden/farm businesses and banning the use of these products dangerous to pollinators is a better choice and healthier for the people consuming the fruits of the plants. This makes healthy sense to me.

As a master gardener and member of the Derry Garden Club, this chemical, neonicotinoid, needs to be immediately stopped to save our bees and other necessary polinators.

This bill would put into place modest restrictions on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in NH. Placing neonicotinoid use into the hands of only licensed and trained applicators is consistent with the scientific evidence regarding the effects of this class of pesticides on bees in general, and honey bees in particular. It also allows for better monitoring of how much of this pesticide is used. Honey, as a specialty crop of high value is sold to the public by hobbyist and commercial beekeepers in NH based on the trust that the product is not tainted with pesticides. This bill will take an incremental step towards reaching that goal.

Pollinators give us large amounts of our food, they are essential to cultivation of almost a third of our food crops. It is foolish to use anything that endangers them.

With more and more development of the land occurring we as residents need to ensure that this development is coupled with responsible stewardship for the continued health of our ecosystems

I am in full support of this bill to limit the use of neonicotinoid pesticides. I believe it is crucial not only to bees and songbirds, but also to preserve the pristine nature of our state to benefit residents and tourists alike.

I am strongly in support of HB1431, restricting the use of Neonicotinoids. Neonicotinoids harm ecosystems by devastating pollinators and beneficial insects, contaminating water, and negatively impacting birds, leading to population declines, impaired migration, and reproduction issues, while also posing risks to human health, potentially causing neurodevelopmental problems due to their systemic neurotoxicity, despite being initially seen as safer alternatives. Their widespread use, often via seed coatings, leads to environmental persistence, affecting non-target organisms through contaminated pollen, water runoff, and soil, disrupting entire food webs. A 2019 analysis (published in Ecology, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) found that more than 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction. It cited habitat loss to agriculture activities, the use of pesticides, as well as climate change as factors in the insects' decline. International reviews have estimated annual losses globally of between 1% and 2.5% of total biomass every year. Insects are at the core of the food web and our ecosystems here in NH and we must protect them from further harm and loss in this unprecedented time of biodiversity loss and climate uncertainty.

I’m asking you to support HB 1431 because the evidence is pretty overwhelming: neonicotinoid pesticides are causing real harm to New Hampshire’s environment, our food systems, and even our long-term economy. These chemicals don’t just disappear after they’re used — they stick around in our soils and wash into our rivers and wetlands, where they damage bees, butterflies, aquatic insects, and the birds and fish that rely on them. Pollinators alone bring hundreds of millions of dollars of value to New Hampshire agriculture every year, so protecting them isn’t just an environmental issue — it’s a smart economic decision. This bill doesn’t ban everything outright; it simply reclassifies neonics as restricted-use and limits non-agricultural applications, which is a reasonable, science-based step. Other states have already taken similar actions, and it’s time for us to catch up. Supporting HB 1431 means supporting farmers, protecting biodiversity, and making sure future generations inherit a healthier, more resilient New Hampshire.

As the President of the NH Beekeepers Association, I am strongly in favor of this bill as it will benefit both the native pollinators of NH and our honey bees. Our board has voted unanimously to support this bill. I cannot attend the hearing but I want to stress the neurological effects of neonics on honeybees by affecting their ability to navigate and communicate. Bees require communication in order to share forage locations. The inability to navigate and geo-locate prevents our bees from their ability to return to the hive with their forage resulting in a dwindling effect in the hive population. This ultimately results in the death of the hive.. It takes approximately two years to establish a productive hive that will yield an annual honey harvest. The economic effects of a loss of an entire apiary to a pesticide kill can be devastating. Our bees are under more pressures than ever and this bill will help us to navigate this very difficult era in beekeeping.

NH Fish and Game classifies pesticides as a threat not only to wildlife, but also to their habitats and to our entire ecosystem. From the NH State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), submitted in September 2025: Pesticides are a significant conservation concern. The SWAP classifies them as pollution under the threat category “Agricultural and forestry effluents / Herbicides & pesticides.” Pesticide use contributes to direct wildlife mortality, particularly among insects and other invertebrates (including impacts from neonicotinoids), and to habitat degradation through runoff, especially in streams, wetlands, and other aquatic systems. The plan's threat summaries describe herbicides and pesticides as among the most commonly identified threats to New Hampshire’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need,