Are neonicotinoids killing bees?

What's Killing American Honey Bees?

many Americans woke up to media reports that something was awry with their honey bees. A signifi cant proportion of American beekeepers were complaining of unusually high rates of colony loss as their bees broke from their overwintering clusters. Loss of some colonies (say 10%) in early spring is normal and occurs every year. In 2007, however, losses were particularly heavy and widespread—beeke...

An assessment of key evidence about Neonicotinoids and bees

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...

Neonicotinoids in bees: a review on concentrations, side-effects and risk assessment

Neonicotinoid insecticides are successfully applied to control pests in a variety of agricultural crops; however, they may not only affect pest insects but also non-target organisms such as pollinators. This review summarizes, for the first time, 15 years of research on the hazards of neonicotinoids to bees including honey bees, bumble bees and solitary bees. The focus of the paper is on three ...

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...