Bill A- Pro

Texas A&M University

1. Neonicotinoids harm bees

Initially neonicotinoids were praised for their low-toxicity to many beneficial insects, including bees;
however recently this claim has come into question. New research points to potential toxicity to bees
and other beneficial insects through low level contamination of nectar and pollen with neonicotinoid
insecticides used in agriculture. Although these low level exposures do not normally kill bees directly,
they may impact some bees’ ability to foraging for nectar, learn and remember where flowers are
located, and possibly impair their ability to find their way home to the nest or hive. Despite the
controlled studies completed to date, the actual impact of neonicotinoid insecticides on honey bees in
the field are difficult to measure. It is still not known whether these effects explain bee colony collapse
disorder, or have had any effect in agriculture or, especially, in urban areas.

Xerces Society

2. Neonicotinoids can hurt the environment

Some of the major findings of the report include:

● Several of these insecticides are highly toxic to honey bees and bumblebees.
● Neonicotinoid residues are found in pollen and nectar consumed by pollinators such as bees and
butterflies. The residues can reach lethal concentrations in some situations.
● Neonicotinoids can persist in soil for months or years after a single application. Measurable
amounts of residues were found in woody plants up to six years after application.
● Untreated plants may absorb chemical residues left over in the soil from the previous year.
● Products approved for homeowners to use in gardens, lawns, and on ornamental trees have
manufacturer-recommended application rates up to 120 times higher than rates approved for
agricultural crops.
● There is no direct link demonstrated between neonicotinoids and the honey bee syndrome
known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). However, recent research suggests that
neonicotinoids may make honey bees more susceptible to parasites and pathogens, including
the intestinal parasite Nosema, which has been implicated as one causative factor in CCD.
● Many neonicotinoid pesticides that are sold to homeowners for use on lawns and gardens do
not have any mention of the risks of these products to bees, and the label guidance for
products used in agriculture is not always clear or consistent.
Harvard University

Boston, MA — Two widely used neonicotinoids—a class of insecticide—appear to significantly harm

honey bee colonies over the winter, particularly during colder winters, according to a new study from
Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). The study replicated a 2012 finding from the same research
group that found a link between low doses of imidacloprid and Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), in
which bees abandon their hives over the winter and eventually die. The new study also found that
low doses of a second neonicotinoid, clothianidin, had the same negative effect.
Further, although other studies have suggested that CCD-related mortality in honey bee colonies may
come from bees’ reduced resistance to mites or parasites as a result of exposure to pesticides, the new
study found that bees in the hives exhibiting CCD had almost identical levels of pathogen infestation
as a group of control hives, most of which survived the winter. This finding suggests that the
neonicotinoids are causing some other kind of biological mechanism in bees that in turn leads to CCD.