Study Finds Neonicotinoids Harm Bee Colonies

A recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) found that two widely used neonicotinoid insecticides appear to significantly harm honeybee colonies over the winter — especially during colder winters.

HSPH says the study replicated a 2012 finding from the same research group that found a link between low doses of imidacloprid, a type of neonicotinoid insecticide, and Colony Collapse Disorder (CDD) — where bees abandon their hives over the winter and eventually die. It also found low doses of the neonicotinoid insecticide clothianidin had the same negative effect.

The results seem to contradict other findings that suggest CCD may come from bees’ reduced resistance to mites or parasites as a result of exposure to pesticides. The HSPH study found that bees in the hives exhibiting CCD had almost identical levels of pathogen infestation as a group of control hives, most of which survived the winter.

Bayer CropScience says it found the study to be “seriously flawed” and pointed out that feeding honeybees levels of neonicotinoids greater than 10 times what they would normally encounter is unrealistic. Colony failure is to be expected when given the artificially high levels tested over 13 consecutive weeks, the company added.

IN OTHER NO-TILL NEWS…

Trelleborg will invest $50 million to open its first North American manufacturing facility dedicated to manufacturing premium radial tires for farm machinery, with production to begin in 2015. The 430,000-square-foot facility will be located at the company’s existing premises in Spartanburg, S.C.

Cheminova launched Equation fungicide, an…

To view the content, please subscribe or login.
 Premium content is for our Digital-only and Premium subscribers. A Print-only subscription doesn't qualify. Please purchase/upgrade a subscription with the Digital product to get access to all No-Till Farmer content and archives online. Learn more about the different versions and what is included.

Top Articles

Current Issue

Cover_NTF_January_0125.jpg

No-Till Farmer

Get full access NOW to the most comprehensive, powerful and easy-to-use online resource for no-tillage practices. Just one good idea will pay for your subscription hundreds of times over.

Subscribe Now

View More

Must Read Free Eguides

Download these helpful knowledge building tools

View More
Top Directory Listings