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Wildflowers Give Bees a Dose of Pesticides

Posted by timothy on from the bzzt-pass-it-on dept.

JMarshall writes: Wildflowers growing near fields sown with pesticide-treated seeds can be reservoirs of bee-harming neonicotinoid compounds, according to new research. The study suggests bees get most of their exposure to these pesticides from wildflowers, rather than from the crops the pesticides are designed to protect. At the peak of flowering season, 97% of the pollen brought back to beehives tested in the UK came from wildflowers, not the canola crops they were growing alongside.

9 of 38 comments (clear)

  1. Bad reporters, no science for you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Let's completely ignore that the large scale data shows that banning neonicotonoids didn't have ANY affect on the bee population in Europe. Though there's a huge amount of media-induced blame, a continent-wide experiment demonstrated that they aren't a significant factor, after much smaller scale studies showed the same thing. Now Europeans are using pesticides that are worse for the environment because they are less specific to the particular pests.

    1. Re:Bad reporters, no science for you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Since it persists in the environment, banning neonicotonoids isn't going to have an effect for many years.

    2. Re:Bad reporters, no science for you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Let's completely ignore that the large scale data shows that banning neonicotonoids didn't have ANY affect on the bee population in Europe.

      Neonicotinoids are not banned in Europe, so this data does not exist.

    3. Re:Bad reporters, no science for you by Gr8Apes · · Score: 3, Informative

      IIRC, it took something like 20 years before the effects of DDT were removed enough from the environment to be measured. Just because you sat in the bottom of the latrine for years doesn't mean 1 shower washes the stink off of you.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    4. Re:Bad reporters, no science for you by NatasRevol · · Score: 3, Informative

      At least one expert disagrees with you.

      "Dr Lynn Dicks, a biodiversity and ecosystem services research fellow at the University of Cambridge, told the Science Media Centre: "We now have robust evidence that neonicotinoids have a serious impact on free-living bumblebee colonies in real farmed landscapes."

      http://www.bbc.com/news/scienc...

      --
      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
    5. Re:Bad reporters, no science for you by NatasRevol · · Score: 2

      What's the average life of this chemical in the environment?

      Longer than the ban, so literally the ban meant nothing.

      --
      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
  2. But is this enough to change policy? by waTeim · · Score: 2

    Is seems pretty clear now that an outright ban on neonicotinoids is what is is called for here. The overall effect in bee population in countries that use is versus ones that don't combined with the detectable presence in honey and now this show that even controlled use is has too many unexpected side effects. The mere benefit of improved pest control efficiency is not worth this danger.

    1. Re:But is this enough to change policy? by tinkerton · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I think that one lesson of this research is that since bees get their honey not just from the targeted crops it's generally worth to try and contain the pesticides better. That means taking in account wind, drop size, delivery method. In fact it could mean that the pesticides on the targeted crops are the least of your concerns. Which is interesting.

  3. Not mentioned... by willworkforbeer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Monsanto has demanded licensing payments for every jar sold of Pesticide Honey (TM).

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