Category: pesticides

Pesticides impair baby bee brain development.

February 27, 2021

Imperial College London researchers used micro-CT scanning technology to reveal how specific parts of bumblebee brains grew abnormally when exposed to pesticides during their larval phase. Most previous studies have tested the effects of pesticide exposure on adult bees because these individuals directly collect pesticide-contaminated nectar and pollen. However, this study shows that baby bees … More Pesticides impair baby bee brain development.

France mulls reintroduction of neonicotinoids, faces backlash from NGOs and Germany.

February 15, 2021

Debates are currently well underway in France over the re-authorisation of neonicotinoids, a controversial class of pesticides, to save its sugar beet industry. The issue is causing quite a stir both at home and across the Rhine. EURACTIV France reports. The issue of the re-authorisation of neonicotinoid insecticides was tackled by France’s national council for ecological … More France mulls reintroduction of neonicotinoids, faces backlash from NGOs and Germany.

Pesticide manufacturers’ own tests reveal serious harm to honeybees.

February 6, 2021

Bayer and Syngenta criticised for secrecy after unpublished research obtained under freedom of information law linked high doses of their products to damage to the health of bee colonies. Unpublished field trials by pesticide manufacturers show their products cause serious harm to honeybees at high levels, leading to calls from senior scientists for the companies … More Pesticide manufacturers’ own tests reveal serious harm to honeybees.

France to ease pesticide ban for sugar beet to curb crop losses

January 28, 2021

PARIS (Reuters) – The French government will propose lifting a ban on certain pesticides blamed for harming bees to protect sugar beet crops that have been ravaged by insects this year, the agriculture ministry said on Thursday. The government plans to support a legislative amendment in parliament later this year to exempt sugar beet for … More France to ease pesticide ban for sugar beet to curb crop losses

The numbers are in: Beekeepers faced their second highest losses in 14 years this past year.

January 13, 2021

Help save the bees: Demand that Congress ban bee-killing pesticides today! The situation is dire with massive bee die offs — largely thanks to the continued use of bee-killing pesticides. Thankfully, the Saving America’s Pollinators Act (SAPA) would put a stop to these toxic chemicals. Scientists have warned that further decline of bees and other insects could lead us to a … More The numbers are in: Beekeepers faced their second highest losses in 14 years this past year.

Loss of bees causes shortage of key food crops, study finds.

December 30, 2020

Apple and cherry production hampered by lack of wild bees. Bees affected by loss of habitat, pesticides and climate crisis. A lack of bees in agricultural areas is limiting the supply of some food crops, a new US-based study has found, suggesting that declines in the pollinators may have serious ramifications for global food security.‘Murder … More Loss of bees causes shortage of key food crops, study finds.

Agri-giant Dow’s dangerous pesticide, chlorpyrifos, has serious negative effects on the health of our bees, not to mention the health of our children.

December 24, 2020

The toxic chemical is all over the fruits and veggies our kids are eating. Even in small doses chlorpyrifos can irreversibly impact children’s as well as bees’ brain development and hormonal systems. Scientists have linked it to developmental delays in children and working memory loss. Now, Health Canada is deciding whether to allow Dow’s dangerous chemical in our farmers’ fields and they … More Agri-giant Dow’s dangerous pesticide, chlorpyrifos, has serious negative effects on the health of our bees, not to mention the health of our children.

Honeybees pick up ‘astonishing’ number of pesticides via non-crop plants.

November 24, 2020

A Purdue University study shows that honeybees collect the vast majority of their pollen from plants other than crops, even in areas dominated by corn and soybeans, and that pollen is consistently contaminated with a host of agricultural and urban pesticides throughout the growing season. Christian Krupke, professor of entomology, and then-postdoctoral researcher Elizabeth Long … More Honeybees pick up ‘astonishing’ number of pesticides via non-crop plants.

Pesticides may cause bumblebees to lose their buzz, study finds.

November 19, 2020

Pesticides significantly reduce the number of pollen grains a bumblebee is able to collect, a new University of Stirling study has found. The research, conducted by a team in the Faculty of Natural Sciences, found that field-realistic doses of a neonicotinoid pesticide affects the behaviour of bees — ultimately interfering with the type of vibrations … More Pesticides may cause bumblebees to lose their buzz, study finds.

Environmental groups say the Ontario government is proposing to weaken the province’s restrictions on a class of agricultural pesticides that some scientific studies blame for large declines in the populations of bees and other insects.

August 20, 2020

A coalition that includes Environmental Defence and the Ontario Beekeepers Federation says proposed rule changes for neonicotinoids, or neonics for short, will make it easier for farmers to use them and harder for the government to track them. But the Ontario government, farmer organizations and pesticide manufacturers who support the changes say they would reduce … More Environmental groups say the Ontario government is proposing to weaken the province’s restrictions on a class of agricultural pesticides that some scientific studies blame for large declines in the populations of bees and other insects.