Bees die-off: neonicotinoid pesticides are to blame, Harvard confirms

    Bees die-off: neonicotinoid pesticides are to blame, Harvard confirms

    Bee die-off, neonicotinoid pesticides are among the major causes. A Harvard study strengthens the link between bee die-offs, killer pesticides and colder winters. According to new research conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, the blame would be attributed to two neonicotinoids widely used in agriculture.



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    Bee die-off, the neonicotinoid pesticides are among the major causes. A Harvard study strengthens the link between bee die-offs, killer pesticides and colder winters. According to new research conducted by Harvard School of Public Health, the fault would be attributed to two neonicotinoids widely used in agriculture.

    The study confirms the similar results already obtained in 2012 by the same research group, which had identified a link between low doses of imidacloprid and Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Bees during thewinter they would leave the hive and die in most cases.

    According to other studies, CCD could be linked to a reduction in the resistance of bees to parasites, as a consequence of exposure to pesticides. The new study is all about neonicotinoids like harmful substances able to compromise some biological mechanisms bees, which would lead to collapse of the hives. The study in question was published on May 9 from Bulletin of Insectology.

    "In this study we have shown once again that neonicotinoids are the main culprits of CCD in bees in hives that were healthy before winter" - said Chensheng Lu, lead author of the study and professor at the HSPH. .

    Since 2006, CCD has caused significant losses among hives. Identifying the cause, according to experts, is essential to contain the problem, given that bees are the main pollinating insects for about one third of crops worldwide. Researchers took into consideration a number of factors, including pathogen infestations, beekeeping practices and exposure to pesticides.

    The most recent research, conducted at Harvard since 2010, in any case put the neonicotinoids under accusation, with particular reference to two substances: imidacloprid e clothianidin. In the latest research, experts studied the health of 18 bee colonies in three central locations in the Massachusetts, between October 2012 and April 2013.



    They then examined the effects of the two offending neonicotinoids on insects e with the onset of winter were able to attend the progressive decline in bee populations who had come into contact with pesticides. The experts therefore calculated a mortality rate of 94%.

    The harsh winter temperatures and neonicotinoids, according to what the researchers confirm, would therefore aggravate the CCD. The link between the two has been demonstrated, but it will take place further research to understand the biological mechanisms that lead to the death of bees. The research was funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and the Harvard University Center for the Environment's Breck Fund.



    Marta Albè

    Photo source: harvard.edu

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