The “Birds and the Bees” is an irritating song from the 1960s built upon the dreaded sex education discussion parents once had with their kids (well… not my parents). Apart from vaguely libidinal suggestions, the song hints at the connectedness of life and how we are all part of a larger whole. I can’t get […]
Tag: insecticides
Condors found “poisoned” in Chile
Chilean authorities are investigating the apparent poisoning of 20 condors in the Andes. Two of the afflicted birds have died, authorities revealed on Monday. The enormous birds have wingspans of up to 10ft (3m) and can glide on air currents for hours. On Sunday, witnesses reported condors crashing into the rocks high in the mountains […]
Neonicotinoids are the new DDT killing the natural world
It’s the new DDT: a class of poisons licensed for widespread use before they had been properly tested, which are now ripping the natural world apart. And it’s another demonstration of the old truth that those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it. It is only now, when neonicotinoids are already […]
Ban pesticides linked to bee deaths, say MPs
The UK government should suspend the use of a number of pesticides linked to the deaths of bees, a committee of MPs has said. Members of the Commons Environmental Audit Committee are calling for a moratorium on the use of sprays containing neonicotinoids. Britain has refused to back an EU ban on these chemicals saying […]
Popular pesticides kill frogs outright
Commonly used agrochemicals (insecticides, fungicides and herbicides) kill frogs outright when sprayed on fields even when used at recommended dosages, according to new research in Scientific Reports. Testing seven chemicals on European common frogs (Rana temporaria), the scientists found that all of them were potentially lethal to amphibians. In fact, two fungicides—Headline and Captain Omya—wiped […]