. Scientists from the UK and Ireland say that they work the same way as nicotine on their brains. They are more likely to overeat and have dangerously increased levels of toxic substances in their bodies. Like nicotine, Neonicotinoids work on the brain receptors of certain types of Bees. They act on the brain to make insects crave more. In Nature, researchers from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, Newcastle University, and Oxford in England wrote that bees are more likely to become exposed to toxic levels of pesticides if they prefer nectar. Bees seem to crave neonicotinoid-pesticides in the same way that humans do. The Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University’s Professor Geraldine Wright and her team found that nectar containing neonicotinoid insecticides is not tasteless and honeybees as well as buff-tailed bees can’t avoid it. Research shows that neonicotinoid-laced foods have a significant impact on bees’ behaviour. They ate significantly more neonicotinoid laced foods than they did food that was not. Both types of bees displayed signs of addiction. However, the neonicotinoid-laced foods were consumed by bumblebees in greater amounts than the honeybees. Bumblebees can become poisonous if they eat too much. For top crop yields worldwide, farmers rely heavily on bees and other pollinating insects for their livelihood. They are estimated to be worth at least $164 trillion (EUR 153bn; PS 109bn), annually, according to research. Pesticides that are found in floral nectar and pollen can cause harm to bees. Numerous studies show that bees can be exposed to neonicotinoid insecticides. Recent years have seen concern about the possible harmful effects of neonicotinoids on insects pollinators. In April 2013., the EU (European Union), imposed a temporary ban against neonicotinoid insecticides on flowering plants. Numerous studies are currently being done to determine whether the ban should be made permanent or lifted. Prof Wright stated that there is a serious risk of being poisoned. “Bees cannot taste pesticides in their food so they don’t avoid them.” This is putting them at risk of poisoning when they eat contaminated nectar.” “Even worse, we now have evidence that bees prefer to eat pesticide-contaminated food. Neonicotinoids target the same mechanisms in the bee brain that are affected by nicotine in the human brain.” “The fact that bees show a preference for food containing neonicotinoids is concerning as it suggests that like nicotine, neonicotinoids may act like a drug to make foods containing these substances more rewarding.” “If foraging bees prefer to collect nectar containing neonicotinoids, this could have a knock-on negative impact on whole colonies and on bee populations.” Lead researcher at the School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Prof. Jane Stout, said: “Our findings imply that even if alternative food sources are provided for bees in agricultural landscapes where neonicotinoid pesticides are used, the bees may prefer to forage on the neonicotinoid-contaminated crops.” “Since neonicotinoids can also end up in wild plants growing adjacent to crops, they could be much more prevalent in bees’ diets than previously thought.” Field study on neonicotinoid pesticide In a separate study, carried out at Lund University in Sweden, scientists found that clothianidin, a neonicotinoid pesticide, affected wild bees in an agricultural landscape. The Nature journal also published their findings. Maj Rundlof, the coordinator and chief researcher of their study, said that they are concerning because wild bees (both bumblebees as well as wild bees) play an important role in pollination. Dr. Rundlof stated that there were clear problems in reproduction and growth of bumblebee colonies located near rapeseed-treated fields. There was also a significantly lower number of wild bees living on the field with clothianidin. They found no adverse effects on honeybee colony growth. Dr. Rundlof said that “if we just investigate how a pesticide affects honeybees it’s not enough to predict what the consequences will be for wild bees living in real land.” Thorsten Rahbek Petersen, the Swedish Board of Agriculture project manager, stated that “the results prove that clothianidin is unsuitable to use on rapeseed. If we want to grow spring rapeseed here in Sweden, then alternative cultivation techniques and preparations are needed. Citations: Erin Jo Tiedeken, Jane C. Stout, Sebastien C. Kessler, Jessica Mitchell, Kerry L. Simcock, Sophie Derveau, Samantha Softley, & Geraldine A. Wright. Nature. Online publication April 22nd 2015. DOI: 10.1038/nature14414. 2. Maj Rundlof, Georg K. S. Andersson, Riccardo Bommarco, Ingemar Fries, Veronica Hederstrom, Lina Herbertsson, Ove Jonsson, Bjorn K. Klatt, Thorsten R. Pedersen, Johanna Yourstone & Henrik G. Smith. Nature. Publication April 22nd 2015. DOI: 10.1038/nature14420. Video: Pesticides harm wild honeybees Maj Rundlof discusses their field research findings.
Neonicotinoid insecticides are a favorite of bees
