Insecticides

Die Biologin Rachel Carson begann ihr berühmt gewordenes Buch einst mit einem Zukunftsmärchen. Sie schildert eine Stadt inmitten blühender Obstgärten. Entlang der Straßen entzücken Schneeballsträucher, hohe Farne und wilde Blumen das Auge. Die Vogelwelt ist artenreich, in den Bächen tummeln sich Fische. Doch dann rafft eine seltsame, schleichende Seuche Mensch und Tier dahin. Bäume und Blüten verkümmern. Die wenigen, noch übrig gebliebenen Vögel zittern und können nicht mehr singen. Es sei ein „stummer Frühling“, gewesen, schreibt sie in ihrem gleichnamigen, 1962 erschienenen Buch.

An overwhelming majority of surveyed farmers are concerned about the proposed Bayer-Monsanto merger and believe it will have a negative impact on independent farmers and farming communities, a poll released on March 6 has found.

Neonicotinoid use has increased rapidly in recent years, with a global shift toward insecticide applications as seed coatings rather than aerial spraying. While the use of seed coatings can lessen the amount of overspray and drift, the near universal and prophylactic use of neonicotinoid seed coatings on major agricultural crops has led to widespread detections in the environment (pollen, soil, water, honey).

Over the past 15 years, neonicotinoid seed treatments have been adopted worldwide and are used on a large proportion of U.S. field crops. Although neonicotinoids are used widely, little is known about how large-scale deployment affects pest populations over long periods. Here, we report a positive relationship between the deployment of neonicotinoid seed-dressings on multiple crops and the emergence of insecticide resistance in tobacco thrips (Frankliniella fusca), a polyphagous insect herbivore that is an important pest of seedling cotton but not soybean or maize.

Der zu den Braunfröschen gehörende Grasfrosch (Rana temporaria) galt früher als „Allerweltsart“. Bis ins 20. Jahrhundert hinein landete er bevorzugt in der Fastenzeit hin- und wieder auf heimischen Tellern. Er ist fast überall in Deutschland anzutreffen. Dennoch sind auch bei dieser häufig vorkommenden Amphibienart in den letzten Jahren sehr starke Bestandsrückgänge festzustellen. In bestimmten Regionen ist er bereits ganz verschwunden, sodass er in Rheinland-Pfalz auf der Vorwarnliste der gefährdeten Arten aufgeführt ist. Die Tiere ernähren sich von Insekten, Würmern, Nacktschnecken etc.

The State of the Nations Butterfly report which is published every five years shows long term and ten year trends – and it’s waving a danger flag. The most recent report published in 2015 indicates that overall a staggering 76 percent of our butterflies declined in abundance and occurrence over the past 40 years.

Four species of butterfly have become extinct over the past 150 years and the rest face an uncertain future. Our moths are doing no better as the total number over the past 40 years has declined overall by 28 percent, even as low as 40 percent in southern areas.

The neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid is used in Bangladesh for a variety of crop protection purposes. Imidacloprid may contaminate aquatic ecosystems via spray drift, surface runoff and ground water leaching. The present study aimed at assessing the fate and effects of imidacloprid on structural (phytoplankton, zooplankton, macroinvertebrates and periphyton) and functional (organic matter decomposition) endpoints of freshwater, sub-tropical ecosystems in Bangladesh.

Lots of recent research on neonicotinoid pesticides has focused on their deadly effects on honeybees and hives, but few have studied their possible effects on human health. Now, a Quebec research team has made some disturbing findings, including how the pest killers might affect unborn babies during pregnancy, and how they play a role in fuelling breast cancer.