[Pollinator] Nearly two decades of data reinforce concerns that pesticides are really bad for bees

[David Inouye]

Nearly two decades of data reinforce concerns that pesticides are really 
bad for bees

Wild bee declines have been ascribed in part to neonicotinoid 
insecticides. While short-term laboratory studies on commercially bred 
species (principally honeybees and bumblebees) have identified 
sub-lethal effects, there is no strong evidence linking these 
insecticides to losses of the majority of wild bee species. We relate 18 
years of UK national wild bee distribution data for 62 species to 
amounts of neonicotinoid use in oilseed rape. Using a multi-species 
dynamic Bayesian occupancy analysis, we find evidence of increased 
population extinction rates in response to neonicotinoid seed treatment 
use on oilseed rape. Species foraging on oilseed rape benefit from the 
cover of this crop, but were on average three times more negatively 
affected by exposure to neonicotinoids than non-crop foragers. Our 
results suggest that sub-lethal effects of neonicotinoids could scale up 
to cause losses of bee biodiversity. Restrictions on neonicotinoid use 
may reduce population declines.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/08/16/nearly-two-decades-of-data-reinforce-concerns-that-pesticides-are-really-bad-for-bees/?utm_term=.9a9ad4d8645d-- 


Dr. David W. Inouye
Professor Emeritus
Department of Biology
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-4415
inouye at umd.edu

Principal Investigator
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory
PO Box 519
Crested Butte, CO 81224