Garden centres who have withdrawn pesticides containing certain neonicitinoids may know next week whether a proposed EU ban is to go ahead.

EU sources confirmed this week that amateur garden products would now figure in next week’s discussions by the committee looking into the issue, in response to widely-expressed concerns about declining bee populations. Some had originally expected only professional products to come under the committee’s jurisdiction.

Only three garden products containing two specific neonicitinoids are affected – Bayer’s Provado Lawn Grub Killer, which contains imidacloprid, and Westland’s Plant Rescue Bug Killer in concentrate and RTU formulations, both containing thiamethoxam.

A number of DIY retailers and garden centres bowed to pressure from a high-profile campaign by Friends of the Earth. They included Scotsdales at Cambridge, who removed the products following an intensive campaign on Facebook at the end of January.

B&Q, Wickes and Homebase all said they would withdraw the named products, and were followed by a cluster of garden centre groups, including Blue Diamond, Hilliers, Notcutts and Squires.

Meanwhile, manufacturers have been defending the safety of their products. “Bees make a vital contribution as pollinators and so we take the health of the bee population very seriously,” said Alison Mulvaney of Bayer Garden.  “Claims that these neonicotinoids under discussion are having a negative impact on the bee population are unproven. The peer reviewed research instead attributes a great deal of the decline to the Varroa mite and other parasitic mites; bacterial, fungal and viral diseases; habitat loss and degredation; and genetic factors.  More research is needed to tackle these challenges effectively.”

She said Provado Lawn Grub Killer had full UK regulatory approval and if gardeners followed the instructions and mowed the lawn prior to the application they would eliminate the issue of bees foraging in this part of the garden, leaving little, if any, risk that bees would come into contact with the product.

Ms Mulvaney added that the neonicotinoid in the vast majority of the Provado range is thiacloprid, “a completely different sub class to those under discussion”. It was considered to have a good profile for bees.

At Westland, whose Plant Rescue pesticides are manufactured by Syngenta, a spokesman said the products had full approval and posed no threat to bees if the instructions for use were followed. “If the situation changes, then naturally we will comply,” he added.

The HTA have produced an information sheet for members, listing all neonicitinoid products and suggestions on how to answer customer concerns.

Friends of the Earth this week circulated a template letter to be used by campaigners to urge garden centres to withdraw the affected products, whether or not a ban is implemented. It said: "Friends of the Earth thinks that following the EFSA (European Food Standards Authority) review of risks to bees from the neonicotinoids, the science concerning the link between bee decline and these chemicals is strong enough to require we take extreme precaution for honey and wild bees.”