Bee die-off. Insecticides are again under fire. A new study correlates bee deaths with pesticide use. While the United States has denied the connection between the decline of bees and the use of toxic pesticides, the European Commission has imposed a temporary ban on three neonicotinoids, pending new scientific confirmation of their effective negative action against bees.
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Bee die-off. The insecticides they are again under accusation. A new study correlates widespread bee death with the use of pesticides. While the United States has denied the connection between bee decline and the use of toxic pesticides, the European Commission has proposed a temporary ban of three neonicotinoids, awaiting new scientific confirmation on their effective negative action against bees.
A recent research conducted at theNottingham University has shown that a certain category of insecticides is capable of causing alterations in the DNA of bees. The study shows a clear correlation of the phenomenon with theinsecticide imidacloprid. The research results were published in the journal PlosOne.
According to experts, exposure to just 2 parts per million of the pesticide imidacloprid, a, is sufficient neonicotinoide, to provoke gods changes in the organism of bees. The genes that work to regulate the energy that must be used by the cells of the bee organism are negatively affected by the action of the insecticide.
In addition, genes responsible for eliminating toxins increase their activity due to exposure to the alleged neonicotinoid pesticide. The genetic changes due to the insecticide do not only affect bees. In fact, researchers have shown how similar genetic changes are capable of reduce the lifespan fruit flies and to decrease the chance of their larvae reaching adulthood. The neonicotinoid in question would also have a negative effect on bee larvae.
“Although the larvae can still grow and develop in the presence of the pesticide imidacloprid, the stability of the development process appears compromised. If bees are exposed to additional stress from pesticides, diseases and unfavorable climatic conditions, it is possible that development problems will be increased, "he said. Reintard Stoger, professor of epigenetics, expert in gene mutations.
Here, then, is a new scientific proof that correlates the state of discomfort of bees with the use of toxic pesticides in agriculture. It is necessary to intervene as soon as possible for the protection of bees, since these insects deal with thepollination of most of the plants from which we get our food. Last winter, in the United States alone, 1 in 3 bees disappeared. If bees disappeared, between the shelves of grocery stores many of the more common fruits, vegetables and plant products would vanish. Let us therefore continue to support the Greenpeace campaign Let's Save The Bees and the abolition of the use of toxic pesticides in agriculture.
Marta Albè
PHOTO: Simona Falasca
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