Three-quarters of World's Honey Contain Neonicotinoids

Comparative chronic toxicity of three neonicotinoids on New Zealand packaged honey bees

BACKGROUND Thiamethoxam, clothianidin, and imidacloprid are the most commonly used neonicotinoid insecticides on the Canadian prairies. There is widespread contamination of nectar and pollen with neonicotinoids, at concentrations which are sublethal for honey bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus). OBJECTIVE We compared the effects of chronic, sublethal exposure to the three most commonly used neonic...

Three Quarters of a Century of Uninterrupted Publication

Lethal aerial powdering of honey bees with neonicotinoids from fragments of maize seed coat

Losses of bees have been reported in Italy concurrent with the sowing of maize coated with neonicotinoids where pneumatic drilling machine were used. Solid particles with systemic insecticide, falling on the vegetation surrounding the sown area, were thought to poison bees foraging on contaminated nectar and pollen. However, bees fed with guttation drops and dew collected from the surrounding v...

Balancing Control and Complexity in Field Studies of Neonicotinoids and Honey Bee Health

Amidst ongoing declines in honey bee health, the contributory role of the newer systemic insecticides continues to be intensely debated. Scores of toxicological field experiments, which bee scientists and regulators in the United States have looked to for definitive causal evidence, indicate a lack of support. This paper analyzes the methodological norms that shape the design and interpretation...

The neonicotinoids thiacloprid, imidacloprid, and clothianidin affect the immunocompetence of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.).

A strong immune defense is vital for honey bee health and colony survival. This defense can be weakened by environmental factors that may render honey bees more vulnerable to parasites and pathogens. Honey bees are frequently exposed to neonicotinoid pesticides, which are being discussed as one of the stress factors that may lead to colony failure. We investigated the sublethal effects of the n...