Researchers find neonicotinoids present a danger to pollinators

AUGUST 8, 2019 REPORT

by Bob Yirka , Phys.org

A small team of environmentalists with Friends of the Earth, Toxicology Research International and Pesticide Research Institute has carried out a study of insecticide toxicity loading of chemical pesticides that are used on agricultural lands in the U.S. They have concluded that neonicotinoids present a major danger to pollinating insects and have posted their results on the open-access site PLOS ONE.

In the study (funded by Friends of the Earth), the group looked at the impact of the increased use of neonicotinoids on farming products in the U.S. They note that use of such insecticides has increased dramatically in the past 20 years.

Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides that target the nervous systems of insects—they are both less expensive to make and less toxic to humans than other products, making them an appealing option for agriculture applications. The researchers note that they are far more toxic to insects, including those not targeted by agricultural practices than prior industrial insecticides. They also last a lot longer in the soil and are water-soluble, which means they travel from the soil to the water table when it rains.

Continued

Total ban on bee-harming pesticides likely after major new EU analysis

Analysis from EU’s scientific risk assessors finds neonicotinoids pose a serious danger to all bees, making total field ban highly likely

Damian CarringtonEnvironment editor

Wed 28 Feb 2018 14.12 GMTFirst published on Wed 28 Feb 2018 11.17 GMT

The world’s most widely used insecticides pose a serious danger to both honeybees and wild bees, according to a major new assessment from the European Union’s scientific risk assessors.

The conclusion, based on analysis of more than 1,500 studies, makes it highly likely that the neonicotinoid pesticides will be banned from all fields across the EU when nations vote on the issue next month.

The report from the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa), published on Wednesday, found that the risk to bees varied depending on the crop and exposure route, but that “for all the outdoor uses, there was at least one aspect of the assessment indicating a high risk.” Neonicotinoids, which are nerve agents, have been shown to cause a wide range of harm to bees, such as damaging memory and reducing queen numbers.

Jose Tarazona, head of Efsa’s pesticides unit, said: “The availability of such a substantial amount of data has enabled us to produce very detailed conclusions. There is variability in the conclusions [and] some low risks have been identified, but overall the risk to the three types of bees we have assessed is confirmed.”

Read on  

Banned pesticides 'not equally harmful' to bees

By Claire Marshall

BBC Environment Correspondent

5 hours ago 

The largest field study so far in to the group of pesticides called "neonicotinoids" has concluded that each acts differently on the brains of the bees.

One of the chemicals widely considered as being the most toxic wasn't shown to affect bees at a level found in the countryside.

However other "neonics" were shown to cause significant harm to bumblebees.

The results of the study are published in the journal Scientific Reports.

This study examined the three types banned by the EU in 2013. It shows that different types affect the brains of bumblebees in distinct ways.

Two (imidacloprid and thiamethoxam) were shown to be highly toxic to bumblebees when they were exposed to levels of the chemicals found in the countryside.

They affected their brains, impairing their memory and ability to forage for pollen. The toxic effects also included altering the make-up of the colony, changing the ratio of males to females and in some cases reducing the number of queens.

The third (clothiandin) - a close chemical relative that has not been tested before is shown not to be harmful to bees in the low doses given during field trials. The number of queens in the colonies actually increased.

'Long-term consequences'

Dr Chris Connolly, from the University of Dundee, said: "There has been growing concern over the risk to bee populations from neonicotinoid insecticides and their long-term consequences to essential ecosystem services and food security."

Read on ...

The real, devastating risk of neonicotinoids revealed

In the news recently there have been reports about pesticide companies putting pressure on the UK government to overturn an EU ban on the use of the systemic pesticides, neonicotinoids, which have been proven to have toxic effects on bees.

The argument is that they are needed to protect crops in areas at risk from flea beetles, as there is no other known alternative method for farmers. 

However, for the first time scientists say they are able to provide conclusive evidence that neonicotinoids (neonics) and fipronil, thought to be a less toxic alternative with regards to other species, not only affect bees and pollinators, but a wide range of invertebrates and some vertebrates, including birds.

The research was carried out by the IUCN Task Force Systemic Pesticides (a group of global, independent scientists) who analysed all available literature, including more than 800 peer-reviewed reports.

Read more

Stress a Key Factor in Causing Bee Colonies to Fail

Oct. 7, 2013 — Scientists from Royal Holloway University have found that when bees are exposed to low levels of neonicotinoid pesticides -- which do not directly kill bees -- their behaviour changes and they stop working properly for their colonies.

The results showed that exposure to pesticides at levels bees encounter in the field, has subtle impacts on individual bees, and can eventually make colonies fail.

This discovery provides an important breakthrough in identifying the reasons for the recent global decline of bees, a trend that has baffled many experts worldwide.

"One in three mouthfuls of our food depend on bee pollination," said lead author, Dr John Bryden from the School of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway. "By understanding the complex way in which colonies fail and die, we've made a crucial step in being able to link bee declines to pesticides and other factors, such as habitat loss and disease which can all contribute to colony failure."

"Exposing bees to pesticides is a bit like adding more and more weight on someone's shoulders. A person can keep walking normally under a bit of weight, but when it gets too much -- they collapse. Similarly, bee colonies can keep growing when bees aren't too stressed, but if stress levels get too high the colony will eventually fail," added Dr Bryden.

"Our research provides important insights to the biology of pollinators," said co-author Professor Vincent Jansen. "It is intriguing that the way in which bees work together is the key to their success, but could also contribute to their decline and colony failure."

The research was funded as part of the £10 million 'Insect Pollinators Initiative,' set-up to understand the causes of pollinator declines and safeguard future pollination services.

"Pesticides can have a detrimental effect on bees at levels used in the field," said co-author Dr Nigel Raine. "Our research will provide important evidence for policymakers. The way we test pesticides, the way we assess their impact on bees, and the way we manage pesticides can all be improved."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131007094510.htm

Buglife questions Defra Minister's TV statements about Neonicotinoids and bees

Defra Minister David Heath on ITV

July 2013. On Thursday 18th July ITV's Tonight programme investigated the current bee and wild pollinator crisis which threatens food security. Defra Minister David Heath appeared on the programme and made a number of statements about neonicotinoid pesticides that are highly questionable.

Discounting the conclusions of over a hundred studies by independent scientists which show that neonicotinoids are an environmental risk David Heath stated "There's abundant evidence that this is a substance which is toxic in the laboratory...What we have not been able to demonstrate yet is there's any linkage between that and what you see in field conditions where you have much lower dosages than were applied in the laboratory tests".

Contradicted the opinion of the Government's own scientific advisory group

This statement contradicts the opinion of the Government's own scientific advisory group, the Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP). In the January 2013 meeting "Members commented that the laboratory and semi-laboratory studies reported in the literature represent sound science. The main questions raised were about whether the nature of the exposure was realistic, and information to date suggests the exposures were reasonable".

David Heath also stated that "Wouldn't you expect there to be some evidence after all of these trials, somebody to have gone on and said "What's actually happening in the field?" but they haven't".

Read on

European Commission places a temporary suspension on dangerous insecticides

Bees receive some protection from EUNeonicotinoids need much more investigation

April 2013. European Commission Member States have agreed a new piece of legislation restricting the use of dangerous pesticides called neonicotinoids (neonics). The ban will start to come into effect later this year, and will restrict the use of the three most common neonics, imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam on crops which are ‘attractive to bees' and on cereals planted in the summer which cause dust clouds of toxic chemicals to be released.

This is a small step in the right direction for wildlife organisations. Buglife have been campaigning for a ban since 2009, after producing a report showing that neonicotinoids had harmful effects on wildlife and damaging the delicate relationship between pollinators and plants. Pollinator decline is a serious concern, with roughly two thirds of insects seeing worrying reduction in numbers, and more than 250 UK pollinators being threatened with extinction.

Monitoring programme needed

Vanessa Amaral-Rogers, Buglife's Pesticide Officer said "At last, the politicians are starting to listen to the science. This is a good start, but this ban will not be robust enough. In reality, a two year suspension is not enough to see our bee populations recover. Neonicotinoids have a half-life (the time taken for half of the chemical to disappear) in soil of over three years, and will still be used on winter crops. The next step is to put a monitoring programme in place which will assess how all pollinators, not just honeybees, are doing as a result of the ban."

‘High acute risk' to honeybees

This is the second time that the proposal has been put forward by the European Commission. In January, a report by the European Food Safety Authority identified a ‘high acute risk' to honeybees from Imidacloprid, Clothianidin and Thiamethoxam, and an unknown risk to other pollinators such as bumblebees and hoverflies. Last month, the Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health voted on the ban, but it failed to go through as a number of countries, including the UK, refused to vote. However the European Commission appealed the decision and this time the ban has met with favour, with fifteen countries voting in favour of the ban.

Vanessa said "The European Commission now needs to assess the risks from the remaining two neonics, acetamiprid and thiacloprid. Although these chemicals are relatively less potent than the other three, their toxicity can be increased by up to 560 times when combined with other chemicals such as certain fungicides. Acetamiprid and thiacloprid are used less frequently on crops, but we are concerned that they will be used to replace the main three once the ban in force, removing any benefits that the ban would have".

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/Neonicotinoids-ban-eu.html

Private letters shows pesticide companies desperate attempt to protect bee-killing pesticides.

Evidence mounting against neonicotinoids

April 2013. Late last week the Corporate Europe Observatory, a research group which works to improve the transparency in European policy making, published private letters from Syngenta and Bayer. The contents of these showed the pesticide companies forceful lobbying against a proposed European ban on neonicotinoids, a group of pesticides shown to have harmful effects on wildlife.

‘Fault lay with the farmers and not with the chemicals'
One of the letters from Bayer was addressed to European Commissioner, John Dalli, advising him that where countries had experienced honeybee deaths en mass, the fault lay with the farmers and not with the chemicals themselves. This is contradictory to the findings of the member states involved, each one placing a ban on certain uses for neonicotinoids as a result of these incidents.

Facts v lobbying
Keith Taylor, Green MEP for South-East England said "Bayer and Syngenta are looking increasingly desperate in their attempts to undermine the regulation of pesticides they produce. Unfortunately for them facts speak more loudly than all their corporate lobbying and the evidence in favour of banning Neonicotinoid use looks increasingly convincing".

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) report
Earlier this year, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published a report which reviewed the scientific literature surrounding risks to pollinators from the neonicotinoids, Imidacloprid, Thiamethoxam and Clothianidin. This independent scientific group which advises the European Commission, found that these toxic chemicals were a high risk to honeybees.

Bayer criticized the findings, maintaining that it "overstates the risks to honey bees". The press release accompanying the reports stated that these risks were not acceptable which Syngenta took offence to, asking the Director of EFSA to change it before being made public, and threatening legal action if they did not comply.

Vanessa Amaral-Rogers, Buglife's Pesticides Officer said "Neonicotinoids have been the focus of many recent studies published in esteemed journals such as Nature and Science. Even small amounts of the chemical have been found to have harmful effects on our wildlife. It's time that our Government takes action to suspend these lethal insecticides immediately".

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/pesticide-bees.html

Dutch Parliament calls for European suspension on dangerous pesticides

Neonicotinoid pesticide ban call from Dutch Parliament
January 2013. The Dutch Parliament has called for a complete suspension on the use of Neonicotinoids following a recent report by the European Food Safety Authority highlighting the insecticides as ‘high risk' to honeybees and unknown risk to wild pollinators.
Matt Shardlow, Buglife CEO, said "Buglife welcomes this decision and urges the UK government to suspend Neonicotinoids and apply pressure on the European Union to follow suit. Action needs to be taken now to suspend Neonicotinoids in order to protect our wild bees, hoverflies, moths and other pollinators. The Department for Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has already committed to make a decision on the UK future of Neonicotinoids in January and Buglife is eagerly awaiting that decision."

Wildlife charity, Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust has been campaigning to ban the use of Neonicotinoids since 2009. Numerous scientific studies have shown the harmful effects these insecticides have on pollinating insects such as bumblebees, flies and butterflies yet Defra has not taken preventative action.

New synthetic chemicals
Neonicotinoid pesticides are a comparatively new group of synthetic chemicals related to Nicotine that are highly toxic to insects. They are used as a coating for agricultural seeds and in pot plants. The chemicals spread throughout the plant and into the nectar and pollen that bees then eat. Scientific evidence presented in the new report shows that bees eating nectar and pollen contaminated with imidacloprid (the commonest neonicotinoid) then forage less and produce fewer offspring. Other research has shown that imidacloprid levels in rivers can cause deformities in growing mayflies.



http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/Neonicotinoid-ban013.html

Wildlife charity threatens legal action over bee killing pesticides

Government ignoring plight of Britain's bees

November 2012. Wildlife charity, Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust is asking the UK Government to justify its decision to allow the use of bee killing pesticides or face a court case. Buglife has sent Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) a letter outlining a possible case as a preliminary to legal action. Buglife has also submitted the letter as evidence to the current House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee inquiry into the impact of insecticides on bees and other insects.

Suspended in France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia
Buglife argue that the legislation is clear; governments must take a precautionary approach in regulating pesticides. As a result France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia have suspended various neonicotinoid insecticides. Meanwhile in the UK neonicotinoid use has grown to the point where they are used on 1.2 million hectares of the British countryside.

Matt Shardlow, Buglife Chief Executive Officer said "Buglife has repeatedly raised concerns about the potential that these insecticides have to damage pollinators and the service they provide to us, but every time new bee damage evidence is published Government repeats that there is not enough proof to act. We believe that Government must stop their use now because there is no proof that neonicotinoids are environmentally safe".

"If we lose, bees, hoverflies, butterflies, mayflies and earthworms then wildflowers, garden flowers and fruits will dwindle and we will all suffer. This loss could cost UK farmers an estimated £510 million annually in crop yield, with the addition of alternative pollination methods costing a further £1.8 billion each year".

For years Buglife has been concerned that pesticide regulation is unable to identify which pesticides will damage populations of wild, non-target, invertebrates. Buglife is questioning the grounds on which Defra made the decision that ‘no change in the existing regulation of neonicotinoids is required' and considers that the decision is open to challenge by way of a judicial review.

Read on:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/bees-defra.html

Fifth report links neonicotinoid pesticides to bee decline

Study reveals combination of pesticides seriously harms bumblebees

October 2012. A new study reveals the combination of two pesticides widely used on agricultural fields can have damaging effects on bumblebee health and behaviour.

The Government-funded scientific report, published by Royal Holloway College, University of London as part of the Insect Pollinators Initiative is the fifth major scientific report linking harmful pesticides including a neonicotinoid to declining bee populations. Wildlife charity, Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust welcomes the new research as yet another strong piece of evidence linking bee declines to pesticides.

Matt Shardlow, Buglife Chief Executive said "This report is yet another piece of evidence linking bee declines to pesticides. It is vital that the Government takes immediate action to protect our wild pollinators such as bees, bumblebees and hoverflies by suspending the use of these harmful pesticides before it is too late".

"In the UK the current methods of testing and approving pesticides is totally insufficient and only considers lethal doses of single pesticide. This study is so important because in the wild bees do forage widely and are likely to encounter more than one pesticide. Efforts need to be made to improve the pesticide regulation process to ensure proper testing of the effects on all wild pollinators are considered before licensing".

The study revealed that the bumblebees suffered impaired foraging, increased number of deaths and in some cases failed colonies when exposed to exposed to a neonictonioid and imidacloprid pesticide

Buglife is feeding into the Government's consultation on a UK Pesticides Action Plan which it has to submit to the European Commission under the Sustainable Use Directive by the end of November.

Read on:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/neonicotinoid-pesticide012.html

Inquiry launched into neonicotinoid safety

Buglife applaud Committee inquiry on bees and neonicotinoids

September 2012. Yesterday the Environment Audit Committee launched a new inquiry into the impact of insecticides on insects.

Matt Shardlow, Buglife CEO said "Bees, butterflies and hoverflies across Britain applaud this announcement. There is robust scientific evidence that neonicotinoid pesticides have dire effects on bees and other pollinators - Government continues to dismiss the mounting evidence on increasingly flimsy grounds; this is not a sustainable position."

DEFRA
In light of Defra's review of research into neonicotinoid insecticides and bees published on the 18th September 2012 the Committee will investigate whether Defra's decision not to take action is justified with the available evidence.

Matt Shardlow, Buglife CEO said "For four years Buglife has been campaigning for a precautionary ban on Neonicotinoid insecticides - in all that time the Government has failed to produce evidence that these chemicals are safe. This enquiry should focus on the key legal question - has it been proven than these pesticides are not damaging key parts of our environment"

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/neonicotinoid-safety.html