MPs have criticised the British government for refusing to accept the scientific evidence for a ban on pesticides linked to bee declines. Three neonicotinoid pesticides cannot be used on crops attractive to bees from December, after a decision by the European Union to introduce a moratorium on them amid concerns that they were damaging pollinating […]
Tag: neonicotinoids
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 […]
Wake up to the danger of slug pesticides
Last month, it was revealed that levels of a toxic pesticide more than 100 times the EU limit were present in a source of English drinking water. The discovery of record levels of metaldehyde – a chemical used in slug pesticides – was reported by Natural England and the Environment Agency at the River Stour, […]
Pesticides decimating dragonflies and other aquatic insects
While recent research (and media attention) has focused on the alleged negative impacts of pesticides on bees, the problem may be far broader according to a new study in the Proceedings of the US Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Looking at over 50 streams in Germany, France, and Australia, scientists in Europe and Australia found that […]
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 […]
Neonicotinoid pesticides ‘damage brains of bees’
Commonly used pesticides are damaging honey bee brains, studies suggest. Scientists have found that two types of chemicals called neonicotinoids and coumaphos are interfering with the insect’s ability to learn and remember. Experiments revealed that exposure was also lowering brain activity, especially when the two pesticides were used in combination. The research is detailed in […]