This spring planting season, you need to know the ABC’s of CCD.

Back in 2013, the European Union held meetings to determine if nicotinoids, which are neurotoxins contained in the most widely used insecticides in the world, were responsible for Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) among honeybee populations. In other words, are nicotinoids causing more harm than good, and should they be restricted? During the meeting, the UK’s Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), presented research that beehives “remained viable and productive in the presence of the neonicotinoid pesticides under field conditions.” However, this conclusion was challenged by the European Food and Safety Administration (EFSA), which argued that bee health was severely damaged by the chemicals. In the end, the EU sided with the bees, and placed a restriction on nicotinoids, with a new review scheduled for the end of 2015.

In March of 2015, a UK scientist noted that a second UK agency, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), continued to support the use of the pesticides, and on their website referred to the conclusions of the FERA 2013 study. So he re-analyzed the findings of that study, and concluded the study actually proves THE OPPOSITE of FERA’s conclusions, and said, “their data appear to provide the first clear evidence that colonies of free-flying bumblebees exposed to neonicotinoids used as part of normal farming practice suffer significant impacts in terms of reduced colony growth and queen production.”

Meanwhile, in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which had NOT followed EFSA’s lead and restricted the use of neonicotinoids, endured significant public criticism, with over 4 million people signing a petition sent to the Obama Administration demanding a ban on the chemicals’ use. In response, the EPA hedged, and stated, “that until the data on pollinator health have been received and appropriate risk assessments completed, it is unlikely to be in a position to determine that such uses would avoid unreasonable adverse effects on the environment.” On April 2, the EPA placed a moratorium on NEW uses of the pesticides until a full study of their effects could be determined, but allowed existing uses of the chemicals to continue.

Fearing an imminent ban on nicotinoids, lobbyists for the chemical companies – such as the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) – fought back, citing reports from the United Nations Food Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that suggest that CCD is an historically cyclical phenomenon, and that worldwide bee populations have actually increased in recent years.

And so the argument has been framed, and now you can follow along:

In the 2015 debate over nicotinoids, it’s EFSA versus FERA (supported by DEFRA but countered by FERA itself), and the CEI using USDA and FOA reports to lobby the EPA, over the CCD of the B’s.

You got all that? You’re welcome.