Honeybees

Die als Insektenbekämpfungsmittel eingesetzten Neonicotinoide sind für Bienen schädlich – so viel scheint klar. Doch einige Mittel aus dieser Substanzklasse wirken viel toxischer als andere. Warum das so ist, haben nun Forscher aufgeklärt. Demnach sind die Insektizide besonders schädlich, die zusätzlich zu ihrer Giftwirkung auch bestimmte Abwehrenzyme der Bienen hemmen. Dadurch können die Insekten das Gift nicht mehr abbauen, bevor es Schaden anrichtet.

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).

Since 2007 honey bee colony failure rates overwinter have averaged about 30% across much of North America. In addition, cases of extremely rapid colony failure have been reported, which has been termed colony collapse disorder. Both phenomena result from an increase in the frequency and intensity of chronic diseases and environmental stressors. Colonies are often challenged by multiple stressors, which can interact: for example, pesticides can enhance disease transmission in colonies.

Nach dem Glyphosat-Streit müssen sich Union und SPD wieder über Regeln für den Einsatz von Chemie auf dem Feld einigen. Am Mittwoch hat die Europäische Behörde für Lebensmittelsicherheit, Efsa, die Gefahr von drei Insektenvernichtungsmitteln für Bienen bestätigt. Voraussichtlich werden die Mitgliedstaaten der EU nun am 22. März über ein Verbot der Stoffe im Freiland abstimmen.

Some of Britain’s favourite wildlife is at risk of becoming extinct unless there is a new, 21st-century agricultural revolution, experts are warning. Species from hedgehogs to skylarks and birds of prey are being wiped out – in part by companies with vested interests in “destructive” factory farming, it was claimed on World Wildlife Day, which takes place today. The “alarming” declines in wildlife will threaten not just the richness of the planet but also our ability to grow food, according to the RSPB.

Rachel Carson escribió el 27 de septiembre de 1962 Primavera Silenciosa, (Silent Spring) que advertía de los efectos perjudiciales de los pesticidas en el medio ambiente -especialmente en las aves- sin saber que los polinizadores vitales para la biodiversidad y la alimentación serían uno de los más perjudicados en su libro ya culpaba a la industria química de la creciente contaminación.​ En septiembre del 2010 el Dr Toxicólogo Henk Tennekes publicó un articulo científico en una revista de toxicología, Siguió un libro….. “Un Desastre en Potencia”.

Scientists have identified infectious diseases as a key driver of bee population decline and have shown for the first time the extent to which the diseases are shared with other pollinator groups, in research published this week. Researchers from Royal Holloway, University of London, Oxford University and Cornell University have shown that viruses that are harmful to honeybees are also present in hoverfly pollinators. The study suggests that hoverflies are exposed to the same diseases, and may move the infections around when they feed from the same flowers as the honeybees.

In the summer of 2010, Henk Tennekes from Experimental Toxicology Services Nederland at Zutphen warned that the accumulation of neonicotinoids in the environment would not only decimate useful insects but also have a knock-on effect on other species, including birds (Curr. Biol. (2011) 21, R137–R139). At the time, Tennekes did not find much support for his views and went on to publish his warnings as a book — The Systemic Insecticides: A Disaster in the Making.