—SAVING THE BEES “Chemical companies mull treatments to protect both buzzy pollinators and crops” Crop protection companies are facing down charges from French government authorities that their pesticides are responsible for the serious decline in populations of the humble honeybee, Apis mellifera. try of Agriculture temporarily suspended the sale of products containing the active ingredient fipronil, and there were also fears raised about the active ingredient imidacloprid.
by PATRICIA SHORT | April 19, 2004
U.S. beekeepers reported losses of about 42% of honeybee colonies from April 2014 to April 2015, up from 34% for April 2013 to April 2014. Neonicotinoid pesticides are one of many factors thought to be contributing to these declines. The Obama Administration is trying to get a better handle on pollinator declines and improve pollinator health. In May, a White House task force issued a science-based research plan and a strategy, which among other things aims to reduce honeybee losses to economically sustainable levels by 2025 and restore 7 million acres of pollinator habitat over the next five years. “Pollinators are critical to the nation’s economy, food security, and environmental health,” John P.
by Britt E. Erickson | December 21, 2015
—Neonicotinoids Under Fire “Pollinators: Pesticides linked to bee deaths” Pressure to phase out neonicotinoids rose this year because of concerns that the insecticides may harm honeybees and other animals that spread pollen from flower to flower. Citing the “breadth, severity, and persistence” of honeybee losses, President Barack Obama in June ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to assess the impact of all pesticides, including neonicotinoids, on the health of pollinators.
by Britt E. Erickson | December 22, 2014
The Japanese hornets, which range in length from 27 to 55 mm, secrete the pheromone to identify nest invaders and to mark prey such as honeybees. The presence of this pheromone spurs an attack on the invader or prey by a large group of nest-mates. Ono's earlier research [Nature, 377, 334 (1995)] examined the complex chemical arms race that has evolved between the giant hornet and its prey species, the Japanese honeybee Apis cerana.
by MELODY VOITH | September 15, 2003
—White House Moves To Save Bees “Pesticides: Federal agencies must advance strategy for protecting pollinators” Citing the “breadth, severity, and persistence” of losses of honeybees and other pollinators, President Barack Obama has ordered more than a dozen federal agencies to develop a plan for restoring pollinator populations.
by Britt E. Erickson | June 27, 2014
But neonicotinoids have been linked to the decline of beneficial nontarget pollinating species such as honeybees. The chemicals are thought to be nontoxic to mammals and birds. However, Caspar A. Hallmann and colleagues of Radboud University, in the Netherlands, argue that neonicotinoids might be indirectly responsible for the observed decline in bird populations (Nature 2014, DOI: 10.1038/nature13531).
by Stephen K. Ritter | July 10, 2014
Beekeepers in the U.S. lost 42% of their honeybees from April 2014 to April 2015, according to an annual survey funded by USDA and released May 13, the same day that Congress held a hearing on the topic. The loss is the second highest ever recorded. Although several factors have been implicated in the decline of honeybees and other pollinators, neonicotinoids “seem to be attracting the lion’s share of media and public interest attention,” Rep.
by Britt E. Erickson | May 18, 2015