Scientists say at least one neonicotinoid recently banned in Europe may have been unfairly named among the offenders
LONDON, U.K. (Reuters) — Neonicotinoid insecticides, banned in Europe due to fears about harm to bees, have been shown in new research to affect bees differently, depending on the type of pesticide being used.
Scientists who conducted the research said their findings showed that at least one neonicotinoid in the banned group — clothianidin — may have been unfairly named as among the offenders.
This insecticide did not show the same detrimental effects on bee colonies as the others, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, the researchers found. All three neonicotinoids have been subject to an EU-wide moratorium on their use.
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“(From our findings) we can clearly see that the banned neonicotinoids are not the same, so they should be considered independently when considering risk and legislation,” Chris Connolly, a specialist in bee research at Dundee University’s neuroscience department, told reporters at a briefing.
He said the results suggested it would be premature to place a permanent ban on the use of clothianidin.
“That said, a moratorium on its use should continue until the knowledge gaps are filled on its wider impact on other species,” he added.
The research was carried out on bumblebees, which are bigger than honeybees and live in small nests of up to 200 and do not make honeycombs. Europe has around 68 species of bumblebee, and some are commercially bred to pollinate tomatoes and other crops in greenhouses.
To try and find out more, and to test the effects of each of the three neonicotinoids separately, Connolly’s group worked with colleagues from St Andrews University on a study involving 75 bee colonies at five separate locations in Scotland.
They found that while imidacloprid and thiamethoxam had the negative effects seen in previous research, clothianidin did not pose the same threat for bumblebees.
“What we have found is that imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, but not clothianidin, exhibit toxicity to bumblebee colonies when exposed at field-relevant levels,” Connolly said.
