Canadian, European studies link key pesticide to weakened honeybee hives
TORONTO — A new study by Canadian researchers has found that honeybees have been exposed to a controversial pesticide for much longer than previously thought at levels that have led to higher mortality and overall weakened health.
The research, conducted in Ontario and Quebec, found virtually all pollen studied — 99.5 per cent — contained neonicotinoids that spilled over from corn and soy crops into plants and wildflowers such as maple trees, dandelions and clover.
“At the current level of agricultural practices, what we’re doing now generates a byproduct of neonicotinoids in environments around corn fields that is most likely going to cause reduction of honeybee health and the health of other pollinators,” said Amro Zayed, the lead author of the study published Thursday in Science.
Neonicotinoids are an insecticide that coats seeds for crops like corn and soy to protect it against insect pests, but since it is water soluble, it is mobile, said Zayed, a York University associate professor of biology. At large doses it’s been shown in the lab to cause paralysis and death by blocking signal transmission between neurons in the brain, he explained.