Environmental groups are trying to put a scare into Lowe's this Halloween. Locations of the home improvement store across the U.S. and Canada have been targeted this week with protests and petitions that ask it to not be a "little shop of horrors" for bees.
The campaign, spearheaded by Friends of the Earth, is designed to get Lowe's to eliminate products and plants that are treated with neonicotinoid pesticides— the world's most widely used class of insecticide—which some consider harmful to bees.The world's bee population has been dying by the billions in recent years, and some experts point to pesticide use as a major contributing factor.In an email to CNBC, Karen Cobb, manager of corporate public relations at Lowe's, reiterated what it told Friends of the Earth, adding "it is concerned about the loss of bees and other pollinators" and was following the latest science from "environmental groups and respected universities." Cobb said that to meet customers' needs, Lowe's offers a wide selection of pest-control products, including organic options, and provides information to help educate consumers about using and applying insecticides.
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-- Mark Koba, CNBC
