Poor pollination and pesticides
by Chris, 3 April, 2016, 3 comments
Dr Dara Stanley of New Holloway, University of London has been looking at the effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on the ‘efficiency’ of bumblebee pollination of apples. Several studies have already implicated these pesticides in the decline of foraging behaviour of bees / bumblebees. As some 30% of agricultural crops depend on pollination by bees and bumblebees, hover flies and other arthropods (with an estimated global value in excess of $350 billion / year) then the effects of these pesticides needs to be evaluated, so that informed debate on the banning or restriction of their use can take place.
Dr Stanley and associates exposed some bumblebees to ‘low’ levels of neonicotinoids (such as might be found in wild flowers), others were exposed to no pesticide. Read more...
