The new documentary, ‘Vanishing of the Bees’ - out in UK cinemas this week - once again blames the spread of neonicotinoid pesticides for the decline in honeybee populations.
Neonicotinoids are a comparatively new group of synthetic chemicals used as a coating for agricultural seeds and in pot plants. The chemicals spread throughout the plant and into the nectar and pollen that bees then eat.
Conservationists say that exposure to these chemicals does not kill the bees outright but weakens and makes them more susceptible to other diseases.
‘No-one doubts they are toxic to honey bees,’ says Dr David Chandler an expert in bee health from Warwick University.
‘The question is whether the dosage that honey bees acquire in agriculture is significant to cause damage to their health.’
For the full story see the ecologist website:
