Analysis from EU’s scientific risk assessors finds neonicotinoids pose a
serious danger to all bees, making total field ban highly likely
The world’s most widely used insecticides pose a serious danger to both
honeybees and wild bees, according to a major new assessment from the
European Union’s scientific risk assessors.
The conclusion, based on analysis of more than 1,500 studies, makes it
highly likely that the neonicotinoid pesticides will be banned from all
fields across the EU when nations vote on the issue next month.
The report from the European Food Safety Authority
<https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/180228> (Efsa), published on
Wednesday, found that the risk to bees varied depending on the crop and
exposure route, but that “for all the outdoor uses, there was at least one
aspect of the assessment indicating a high risk.” Neonicotinoids, which are
nerve agents, have been shown to cause a wide range of harm to bees, such
as damaging memory and reducing queen numbers.
The EU banned three types of pesticides after a 2013 EU study found
evidence they were dangerous to wild bee populations. The latest study has
confirmed that finding and sets the stage for the ban to continue.
The EFSA report examined three neonicotinoids manufactured by German and
Swiss chemical giants Bayer and Syngenta: clothianidin, imidacloprid and
thiamethoxam.
[permaculture] Total ban on bee-harming pesticides likely after major new EU analysis | Environment | The Guardian,
Lawrence London, 02/28/2018