I have a new feature on the history of neonicotinoids, a widely used insecticide that is pushing butterflies, dragonflies, bumblebees and other forms of insect life to the brink of extinction interc.pt/2NFwdMC
Companies that produce neonics, Bayer-Monsanto, Syngenta and their lobby group Croplife America have shaped the debate, co-opting scientists, beekeepers, and NGOs. From focused efforts to influence legislators to manipulating the search results about pollinators on Google.
While the EU has moved to ban neonics, it is still vastly over applied. Brazil has ramped up use, leading to mass bee die-offs last year. In the US nearly all corn, two thirds of soybean seeds are treated w/neonics. The chemical leaches into waterways & dust carries in the wind.
While a growing body of science shows the danger of neonics even at sublethal levels to a wide range of species, including new research showing the potential danger to songbirds & deer, Bayer-Monsanto has sponsored YouTube vids depicting critics as unhinged conspiracy theorists.
The pesticide industry sponsored a farming series on PBS called America's Heartland - shown on PBS affiliates across the US - largely downplaying the role of pesticides in bee die-offs. One segment featured a bee health expert w/o disclosing she works for Bayer-Monsanto. 
This story includes internal corporation lobbying documents and emails from scientists. The industry has hired academics and attempted to position itself as saviors of bees by funding research & PR that looks at non-pesticide related factors for bee decline
