While the relationship between insecticides and bees has made headlines – and controversy – for years, two recent studies have shown that another class of agricultural chemicals, little-appreciated but used in ever-increasing amounts, may also pose a threat to pollinators. The new studies have raised concerns about fungicides: in one, foraging on fungicide-dosed flowers harmed […]
Tag: insecticides
Storks could become poisoned by pesticides during their migration to Africa
Not all storks migrate to Africa. Many stay for the winter in the Iberian Peninsula, where landfills have become a permanent source of food. Scientists from Extremadura have analysed the presence of pollutants and pesticides (some prohibited in Spain) in the blood of nestlings from three colonies, two of which are close to landfill sites. […]
POLL: Should wildlife-killing pesticides be banned?
The widespread use of a type of insecticide that has been blamed for honeybee deaths is linked to a marked decline in bird numbers in Europe, a report says. Imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid chemical, is widely used in agriculture to exterminate pests. Dutch scientists say their data shows that the chemical is associated with a collapse […]
Let me tell you about the birds, bees and neonicotinoids
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 […]
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 […]