Pesticides and Insecticides May Harm Wild Bees

Pesticides harm bees. Now, though, researchers have discovered another threat. It turns out that fungicides labeled "safe for bees" also indirectly may hurt these pollinators.

About 35 percent of global food production benefits from insect pollinators. U.S. farmers have also been relying exclusively on European honeybees, whose populations have been in decline for decades due to colony collapse disorder.

"Because production of our most nutritious foods, including many fruits, vegetables and even oils, rely on animal pollination, there is an intimate tie between pollinator and human well-being," said Mia Park, the new paper's first author, in a news release. "With honeybee numbers in decline, relying on wild pollinators and encouraging the services they provide seem very important."

In this latest study, the researchers examined 19 New York state apple orchards over two years in 2011 and 2012. They analyzed the numbers of wild bees and honeybees and the number of species for each orchard. The researchers also created an index of pesticide use from low to high use, then quantified the amount of natural areas that surrounded each orchard.

"We found there is a negative response of the whole bee community to increasing pesticide use," said Park. In addition, the researchers found that fungicides are also contributing to the issue.

The findings reveal exactly how important wild bees are for apple pollination in the U.S. Since bees are greatly impacted by pesticides and fungicides, it's important to protect them and carefully consider when and when not to use these chemicals.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

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