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In an attempt to prevent further insect deaths, bee-proof netting will be used to cover the 55 European linden trees in a Target parking lot in Wilsonville, where
this week.
The
is working with a number of organizations, including the
, the
for Invertebrate Conservation and
, the distributor of
, the insecticide suspected in the insect deaths, to determine further action.
"We have to do this now and prevent any additional bumblebee loss," said Mace Vaughan, pollinator program director at the Portland-based Xerces Society. Tests to confirm the cause of the deaths could take two or three more days, according to officials at the agriculture department. They are testing for insecticides as well as possible natural causes, including any natural toxicity in the linden trees.
Elliot Associates, the land management company that rents the space to Target and other stores at the Argyle Square shopping center, is coordinating with government officials and the landscape contractors to determine if regulations were violated, a company representative said in an email.
Because of the ongoing investigation, neither Elliot Associates nor the department of agriculture would release the name of the landscape contractors. The commercial use of Safari, a type of insecticide in the neonicotinoid group, is regulated both the state and the
.
– Elizabeth Case