Like former governor Deval Patrick (“He’s all abuzz,’’ Metro, June 4), most, if not all, beekeepers are familiar with colony collapse because their bees get sick or, as noted in the story, “take wing and never return.’’

With one third of the food we eat dependent on bees for pollination, it’s a problem we can no longer ignore. Fortunately, we don’t have to. An Act to Protect Massachusetts Pollinators, filed by state Representative Carolyn Dykema, Democrat of Holliston, and cosponsored by 135 legislators from both chambers and both parties, would put some common-sense restrictions on one of the scientifically identified causes of colony collapse, neonicotinoid pesticides.

The bill would not ban neonic use, but rather would restrict when these pesticides can be applied and who can apply them and make sure plants treated with them are labeled so consumers can make an informed choice. It would have no effect on the use of neonics by farmers or other licensed professionals.

Maryland and Connecticut recently passed similar legislation, and it’s time for us to join the effort to protect pollinators and support the vulnerable creatures that help us maintain sustainable food production.

Tiffany Finck-Haynes, food futures campaigner

Food and technology program

Friends of the Earth

Washington, D.C.

Peter Delaney, president

Massachusetts Beekeepers Association

Boxford