Two common types of insecticides found to harm honey bee colonies

[LuckyTheDog]

Imidacloprid and clothianidin, two widely used types of insecticides known as neonicotinoids, appear to cause significant harm to honey bee colonies during cold winter months, according to new research published Friday in the Bulletin of Insectology.

According to the study authors, who are affiliated with the Harvard School of Public Health, the findings reproduced a 2012 paper which found a link between low doses of imidacloprid and the phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which causes bees to abandon their hives in the winter and die out.

However, the new study also found that clothianidin had a similar effect. In addition, while other research has hypothesized that CCD-related mortality in honey bee colonies could be the result of the insects’ reduced resistance to mites or parasites due to pesticide exposure, the new study has found otherwise.

In fact, the HSPH team found that bees in hives exhibiting CCD had nearly identical pathogen infestation levels as those found in control hives, the majority of which were able to make it through the cold weather – which suggests that the neonicotinoids are triggering a different type of biological mechanism that is responsible for CCD.

MORE HERE: http://wonkynewsnerd.com/two-common-types-insecticide-found-harm-honey-bee-colonies/

[roody]

2. Did you forget the sarcasm tag?

[pbmus]

9. no sarcasm, posters that defy mikec get banned from DU ...

he is all knowing entomologist from California that knows that poison does more than just kill bees .

and anyone that says different or has a different opinion about poisons should not post it on DU.

[Brother Buzz]

3. Snarking preemptively

I like!

[Ichingcarpenter]

4. Harvard, Science Daily,Discovery magazine, the Guardian all agree

This story is

TRUE..........


The mysterious vanishing of honeybees from hives can be directly linked to insectcide use, according to new research from Harvard University. The scientists showed that exposure to two neonicotinoids, the world's most widely used class of insecticide, lead to half the colonies studied dying, while none of the untreated colonies saw their bees disappear.

[pbmus]

5. not up to them, its up to mikec as to whether poison kills things ...

[Ichingcarpenter]

6. I thought it was up to monsanto and Dow chemical?

they usually do the rebuttal on DU

[MineralMan]

7. That's the second time you've called out that DUer.

Please don't do that. Thanks.

[pbmus]

8. OK, I cannot state my opinion about another person on DU ...

[maddezmom]

11. So did you get banned before or something?

[MineralMan]

12. Of course you can, but not as a personal attack.

Those are never appropriate. Truly.

[LeftishBrit]

10. Their use has been suspended in the EU for two years, from the end of 2013

Guardian article on the study:


http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/may/09/honeybees-dying-insecticide-harvard-study