How healthy are so-called “bee-friendly plants” for bees

How healthy are so-called “bee-friendly plants” for bees? The Austrian environmental group Global 2000 tested plants labeled as bee-friendly for pesticides. They found that one-third of ornamental plants were contaminated with substances highly toxic to bees. Systemic pesticides, such as neonicotinoids, are especially dangerous because they are absorbed by the plant and enter pollen and nectar. Bees and other pollinators ingest these chemicals while foraging, even if the plants were not sprayed during flowering. The consequences include disorientation, increased disease susceptibility, and reduced reproduction, problems well known to beekeepers.