neonicotinoids

Bees Get Hooked on Pesticides Like People Get Hooked on Cigarettes

A recent study reveals some startling news about the effects some pesticides have on bees, and it’s not good news. According to researchers from Imperial College London and Queen Mary University of London, bees get addicted to some pesticides in the same way that humans get addicted to nicotine. [1]
Over time, bees start to enjoy the taste of pesticide-laced food, eventually eating more and more in what the authors of the study describe as addictive behavior.

Neonics Pesticide Replacement Found to be Equally Dangerous to Bees

A chemical touted as a safer replacement for bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics) has similar harmful effects, researchers in the U.K. have discovered.
Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides intended to protect crops from pests by blocking receptors in the insects’ brains, paralyzing and killing them. Even small doses of neonics can cause bees to struggle with navigation, hunting for food, reproduction, and their ability to form new colonies.

As Europe Readies Ban on Bee-Killing Pesticides, Attention Turns To Bayer-Funded Studies

A series of studies funded by Bayer and submitted to European regulators by the company to support claims that its neonicotinoid pesticides do not harm bees have been criticised by a leading scientist and an industry expert.
The news comes as environment secretary Michael Gove announced the UK would back a European move to ban neonicotinoids, also known as neonics, due to mounting scientific evidence linking the chemicals to bee deaths.

USDA Report: Bee Populations FINALLY Rising After Years of Decline

The decline in bee populations and the many threats bees face have been well-publicized. Scientists have been frantically hunting for solutions to the problem. Without bees, we lose much of our food. Without food, well …we don’t want that. Thankfully, there is a bit of good news on the conservation front: honeybee populations are finally on the rise. [1]

New Evidence Shows Bayer, Syngenta Fought Scientists For Data On Bee Study

Central Illinois corn and soybean farmer Tim Seifert loads his field planter with Syngenta insecticide.
Bayer and Syngenta repeatedly asked scientists to give them raw data on a major new study which found that neonicotinoid pesticides cause harm to bees before it was published, according to emails obtained under Freedom of Information (FOI) rules.