Bees are dying in record numbers – and now the US government admits that an extremely common class of pesticide, called neonicotinoids (or neonics) are at least partially to blame. Neonics, of which there are five types, are marketed by European chemical giants Bayer, BASF and Sygenta.

Millions of acres of farmland are treated with neonics each year. The crops most likely to expose honeybees to harmful levels of imidacloprid, the worst type of neonic for bees, are cotton and citrus, while corn and leafy vegetables either do not produce nectar or have residues below the EPA identified level. However, corn and leafy vegetables get huge amounts of another neonic, clothianidin, whose EPA risk assessment hasn’t been released yet. Soybeans, attractive to bees, are also treated with dangerous levels of imidacloprid, but data on how much of the pesticide shows up in soybeans’ pollen and nectar are “unavailable.”

In addition to their impact on bees, neonic pesticides may also harm birds, butterflies, and water-borne invertebrates, recent studies suggest. Also, assessments of the other neonic products, that coat seeds and thereby kill other insects, have never been done.

The EU banned three of the bee-killers in May 2013, after a massive public campaign and a clear scientific finding from the European Food Safety Authority that neonics pose huge risks to bee populations. The current ban on bee-killing pesticides is up for review soon, but a EU report that could have banned dozens of pesticides has been buried — due to industry’s massive lobbying. The French parliament has meanwhile voted in favor of banning all neonics. Why can’t other countries do the same thing?

Bayer is an enormous company with many profitable brands. Neonics are a big part of its bottom line. As part of their answer to the threat posed by bans, Bayer and Monsanto are attempting to merge, creating a new corporate giant in the already consolidated market for seeds and agricultural chemicals, leaving farmers with fewer options and higher prices.

Monsanto is as bad as Bayer. Together Bayer they are wrecking our ecosystem and threatening a creature responsible for pollinating a third of all our crops, along with numerous others. Not only should the uncompetitive merger be stopped, but the company should be made to stop production Bees are at risk of global extinction. We have to show the multinationals that we won’t tolerate them putting their profits ahead of our planet’s health and our own.

Tomorrow: a related story that will make you very fed up indeed.