Pesticides damage the brains of bees
Pesticides damage the brains of bees
Pesticides damage the brains of bees, according to new research, making it impossible for them to find flowers to feed on.
A number of scientific studies have
singled out the harmful effects of neonicotinoids that are said to
affect the nervous systems of bees. Photo: AP
4:00PM GMT 27 Mar 2013
9 Comments
The Newcastle University study found that one in five bees exposed to
imidacloprid from the neonicotinoid family of pesticides, that is commonly
used on UK crops including oilseed rape, were “unable to learn”.
This means the whole colony is affected because the bees rely on memory to
find flowers and bring back nectar to the hive, said the researchers.
The study, published in Nature Communications, comes amid mounting pressure on
the UK Government to make a decision on whether neonicotinoids should be
banned, as environmentalists fear the pesticides are causing a decline in
pollinators.
But it was not published in a journal and was dismissed by some scientists as
“flawed”.
The Newcastle University study found 18.5 per cent of bees exposed to
imidacloprid over four days lost the ability to learn.
Some 30 per cent of bees also exposed to another chemical coumaphos, that is used by beekeepers to treat disease, performed poorly in memory tests.
Dr Geraldine Wright, a biologist at Newcastle University, said the study suggests bees in the wider environment are being affected by neonicotinoids.
“If bees are exposed to these neonicotinoids their ability to learn and remember is impaired. If they cannot do that they cannot feed and the whole colony suffers,” she said.
The University of Dundee, that also looked at the results, concluded for the first time that neonicotinoids have a direct impact on the actual physiology of bees' brains.
However the Prof Francis Ratnieks, Professor of Apiculture at the University of Sussex, said the lab-based study used higher doses of neonicotinoids than would be found on oilseed rape.
“It’s no surprise that insecticides at high concentrations are harmful, but we don’t know whether the low levels of neonicotinoid insecticides in the nectar and pollen of treated plants, such as oil seed rape, are harmful in the real world.”
A field study by the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) found that neonicotinoids had “no major health effect” on bumblebees in the wild.
But Professor David Goulson, of the Biological & Environmental Sciences department at the University of Stirling, said the study was “not robust”.
“All we can really learn from it is that bumblebee nests placed on farmland, even on farms currently using no neonicotinoids, are likely to be exposed to a cocktail of these chemicals. And some negative effects on colonies were found in this study though not highlighted by the authors.
“Given the flaws in the study design, Defra should certainly not be basing any decisions on this,” he said.
The EU recently held a vote on whether to ban neonicotinoids, from which the UK abstained.
The Government is now under pressure to make a decision that could influence whether the pesticides are banned across Europe. A petition for a ban has been signed by 2.5 million.
Farmers insist a ban could cost millions, put up food prices and force a return to old fashioned pesticides.
Another Government study of previous research, that influenced the EU, concluded that “effects on bees do not occur under normal circumstances”.
Ian Boyd, Defra Chief Scientist, insisted more research is needed in the wild.
“While we cannot rule out the possibility of neonicotinoids affecting pollinators we cannot be clear as to the extent of their impact,” he said.
Many countries have seen a decline in bees and other pollinators in recent years.
A number of studies have found links between bee declines and neonicotinoids.
Matt Shardlow of Buglife, the insect charity, said the pesticides should be banned.
"The vast majority of robust scientific evidence we have seen indicates neonicotinoids harms bees and other wild pollinators – that we rely on for a third of our food."
end quote from:
Pesticides damage the brains of bees
It is also possible that pesticides also damage the brains of children and might be one of the causes of autism. However, even if this is true expect pesticide makers to suppress this knowledge around the world because they financially can afford to. As companies their reasons would have nothing at all to do with being unkind. It would only have to do with the financial liability that would incur if the human race went extinct without bees.
Some 30 per cent of bees also exposed to another chemical coumaphos, that is used by beekeepers to treat disease, performed poorly in memory tests.
Dr Geraldine Wright, a biologist at Newcastle University, said the study suggests bees in the wider environment are being affected by neonicotinoids.
“If bees are exposed to these neonicotinoids their ability to learn and remember is impaired. If they cannot do that they cannot feed and the whole colony suffers,” she said.
The University of Dundee, that also looked at the results, concluded for the first time that neonicotinoids have a direct impact on the actual physiology of bees' brains.
However the Prof Francis Ratnieks, Professor of Apiculture at the University of Sussex, said the lab-based study used higher doses of neonicotinoids than would be found on oilseed rape.
“It’s no surprise that insecticides at high concentrations are harmful, but we don’t know whether the low levels of neonicotinoid insecticides in the nectar and pollen of treated plants, such as oil seed rape, are harmful in the real world.”
A field study by the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) found that neonicotinoids had “no major health effect” on bumblebees in the wild.
But Professor David Goulson, of the Biological & Environmental Sciences department at the University of Stirling, said the study was “not robust”.
“All we can really learn from it is that bumblebee nests placed on farmland, even on farms currently using no neonicotinoids, are likely to be exposed to a cocktail of these chemicals. And some negative effects on colonies were found in this study though not highlighted by the authors.
“Given the flaws in the study design, Defra should certainly not be basing any decisions on this,” he said.
The EU recently held a vote on whether to ban neonicotinoids, from which the UK abstained.
The Government is now under pressure to make a decision that could influence whether the pesticides are banned across Europe. A petition for a ban has been signed by 2.5 million.
Farmers insist a ban could cost millions, put up food prices and force a return to old fashioned pesticides.
Another Government study of previous research, that influenced the EU, concluded that “effects on bees do not occur under normal circumstances”.
Ian Boyd, Defra Chief Scientist, insisted more research is needed in the wild.
“While we cannot rule out the possibility of neonicotinoids affecting pollinators we cannot be clear as to the extent of their impact,” he said.
Many countries have seen a decline in bees and other pollinators in recent years.
A number of studies have found links between bee declines and neonicotinoids.
Matt Shardlow of Buglife, the insect charity, said the pesticides should be banned.
"The vast majority of robust scientific evidence we have seen indicates neonicotinoids harms bees and other wild pollinators – that we rely on for a third of our food."
end quote from:
Pesticides damage the brains of bees
It is also possible that pesticides also damage the brains of children and might be one of the causes of autism. However, even if this is true expect pesticide makers to suppress this knowledge around the world because they financially can afford to. As companies their reasons would have nothing at all to do with being unkind. It would only have to do with the financial liability that would incur if the human race went extinct without bees.
