A study published June 14th 2013, in the Journal of Applied Ecology sheds some much needed light on the severe implications of neonicotinoid insecticides. Neonicotinoid insecticides are applied to the seeds of target crops and grow with the plant which make them systemic within these crops, travelling through all the tissues of the plant. This makes them highly effective at killing insects, which in turn makes them the most widely used pesticides in the world.The use of neonicotinoids is entirely contradictory to the sustainable farming method of integrated pest management (IPM). Also when comparing the cost of application to the benefit provided, the cost of the insecticide is often found to exceed that of actual crop yield. The author of the study, Prof Dave Goulson, says: “Studies from the US suggest that neonicotinoid seed dressings may be either entirely ineffective or cost more than the benefit in crop yield gained from their use. We seem to be in a situation where farmers are advised primarily by agronomists involved in selling them pesticides.”
New findings show that neonicotinoids persist and accumulate in the soil longer than originally findings have shown. Being systemic they are also in the pollen and nectar of treated plants, which provides for their unintended spreading and harm as the concentrations are sufficient to substantially impact colony reproduction in bumblebees. Only 20% of the applied chemical remains with the seed, the other 80% is lost during sowing in the air and soil. The aerial dust alone, that results from sowing seeds, has shown to cause
direct mortality in nearby flying honeybees.
The impact of pesticides on honeybees has taken such a toll that even the mainstream media is now forced to cover it.
by Matt Agorist, RealFarmacy.com
Source: realfarmacy.com
