To the editor:

To this day, having lived in the state of Massachusetts for all my life, even now during my university days, my favorite thing about this part of the region is the cold winter weather. I loved waking up to a snow-covered lawn and playing outside all bundled up. Even as I slow down, the soft crunch of the snow under my feet and my nose tickled from the chill feels perfect.

For a time, I also loved how few insects were flying around, especially those pesky bees. But by now, I have learned just how important our local bee populations are, and I also noticed that as the weather warmed up, less and less bees were returning.

Bees and other pollinators are in danger, and a relatively unknown hazard is neonicotinoids, a seed pesticide that poses a significant and unnecessary threat to bees. To any concerned citizen, the solution is to reach out to the governor and their representatives, and encourage them to ban neonic-coated seeds.

Climate change and pollution are of course major obstacles to bees, which is something all humanity has to work to change, but this is a major win for the environment that our citizens can achieve by reaching out to their representatives.

Rishi Bala