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Syngenta has published a study in PLOS which Syngenta claims refuted the scientfic evidence implicating thiamethoxam in bee decline. Now, they reported the contamination of nectar and pollen as follows: “Median residues of thiamethoxam in pollen collected from honey bees after foraging on flowering seed treated maize were found to be between 1 and 7 µg/kg, median residues of the metabolite CGA322704 (clothianidin) in the pollen were between 1 and 4 µg/kg. In oilseed rape, median residues of thiamethoxam found in pollen collected from bees were between <1 and 3.5 µg/kg and in nectar from foraging bees were between 0.65 and 2.4 µg/kg.” The toxicity of thiamethoxam to honeybees has been demonstrated to follow the Druckrey-Küpfmüller equation. Francisco Sanchez-Bayo calculated the median times to lethal effects based on these reported residue levels. He took into account the frequency of residues appearing in pollen and nectar, which he derived from residue studies done by several authors, so the estimated daily consumption is corrected for that frequency (i.e. not 100% but much less!). Also, he estimated the daily consumption of pollen by nurse bees and consumption of nectar by forager bees, all according to Rortais et al (2005).

Bumblebees and other pollinators provide a vital ecosystem service for the agricultural sector. Recent studies however have suggested that exposure to systemic neonicotinoid insecticides in flowering crops has sub-lethal effects on the bumblebee workforce, and hence in reducing queen production. The mechanism behind reduced nest performance, however, remains unclear. Here we use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to test whether exposure to a low, field realistic dose (0.7 ppb in sugar water and 6 ppb in pollen) of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, reduces worker foraging efficiency. Whilst the nectar foraging efficiency of bees treated with imidacloprid was not significantly different than that of control bees, treated bees brought back pollen less often than control bees (40 % of trips vs 63 % trips, respectively) and, where pollen was collected, treated bees brought back 31 % less pollen per hour than controls. This study demonstrates that field-realistic doses of these pesticides substantially impacts on foraging ability of bumblebee workers when collecting pollen, and we suggest that this provides a causal mechanism behind reduced queen production in imidacloprid exposed colonies.

For more than 100 years, an electrochemical plant has been operating in Flix (Catalonia, Spain) by the Ebro River. Its activities have originated a severe accumulation of environmental contaminants (metals, organochlorinated pesticides and radionuclides) in sediments of the Flix reservoir, while mercury (Hg) has been also frequently released to the air. Environmental exposure to industrial pollutants has been associated with decreased intelligence and behavioral problems. In the present study, we assessed, in 53 children living in the village of Flix and the surroundings, the relationships between the concentrations of a number of trace elements (As, Be, Cd, Cs, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, Tl, U and V) in hair and the levels of testosterone in blood, with respect to potential neuropsychological alterations. Lead (Pb) and Hg showed the highest mean concentrations in hair samples. However, the current Hg levels were lower than those previously found in children living in the same zone, while the concentration of the remaining elements was similar to those reported in the scientific literature. The outcomes of certain neuropsychological indicators showed a significant correlation with metals, such as Pb and uranium (U).

On Dec. 29, a total of 76 species of birds were seen and heard in the area by the count's 21 participants. The annual count covered a circle 24 kilometres in diameter, ending with Stamp Falls Provincial Park to the north and China Creek Marina to the south. Working in groups led by experienced birders, participants recorded 6,537 over the day — nearly half the average number of birds seen and heard in past years. "Last year was low as well — we got 8,345," said bird count organizer Sandy McRuer. Information on the numbers of species and birds recorded will be combined with the distances the bird counters travelled on Dec. 29, producing an overall indication of what birds were in the area at the end of December. "You can divide the number of birds seen into the number of hours spent doing it," McRuer said. "You can come up with a relative estimate compared to other years and compared to other count circles around North America." Along with other bird counts conducted from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5, this formula will be worked out by Bird Studies Canada and the U.S.-based National Audubon Society to determine an overall picture of the health of birds. The low number of species recently recorded in the region falls in line with an overall decline in birds on the West Coast over the last 40 years, according to a study released in 2012 by Bird Studies Canada.

Neonicotinoid insecticides are a relatively new, but widely-used, class of systemic, water-soluble nerve poisons. They are readily incorporated into all plant cells, as well as pollen and nectar. They act by binding to acetylcholine receptors of plant-feeding insects, inducing depolarization of motor neurons, tetanic contractions, neuromuscular destruction and death. Non-target plant-feeding insect groups (e.g., bees, certain moths and butterflies) exposed to these insecticides are at risk. Declines in these insect groups are well documented, while noting that these declines can be attributed to habitat loss and invasive species as well as to pollution from neonicotinoid insecticides and other agricultural chemicals. In many agricultural areas, populations of animals that rely on plant-feeding insects as food sources (e.g., birds, bats, amphibians, predatory insects) are also declining.

Since 2009 I've been writing about the plight of beleaguered honeybees due to toxic chemicals; over five billion pounds of insecticides -- one third of them are lethal neonicotiniods (neonics) thrust into our biosphere each year. Neonics are a neuro-active insecticide fashioned after nicotine, neonics poison nerves and prevent acetylcholine from enabling neurons to communicate with each other and muscle tissue. In humans, this substance would trigger Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. My colleague Dr Henk Tennekes reported the deadly effects of neonics on both soil organisms and their 'knock-on-effects' causing starvation to meadow birds and their predators Goshawks as well as contaminating waterways for many years thereafter across Western Europe. It seems that his thorough research was blatantly disregarded elsewhere around the globe by feckless government regulatory bodies. An intrepid Dr Christy Morrissey of the University of Saskatchewan set out to investigate just how wide spread the effects of neonics were across the prairies of Western Canada. Eighty to 90 percent of the wetlands she studied were contaminated with these odious poisons, which remain in toxic concentrations within the waterways for years. She too found 'knock-on-effects' in soils extending up the food chain, which reduced populations of many animals. Earthlings are knowingly annihilating the exquisite tapestry of life or Earth's biodiversity.

South Georgia is home to around half the global population of breeding grey-headed albatross (Thalassarche chrysostoma) and the rapid rate of decline in numbers in the South Georgia colonies of grey-headed albatross is a major contributing factor to the birds being newly listed as ‘Endangered’. Bird numbers have been declining very rapidly over three generations (90 years); the major driver of declines is likely to be incidental mortality when the birds come into contact with lon-gline fisheries outside of the South Georgia area.

Two new papers question the validity of risk assessment methodologies widely accepted by regulators while registering neonicotinoid pesticides, commonly accepted to be a significant contributor to the widespread die-off of honeybees. The papers point toward new research to better understand the complexities of determining the role pesticides play in the bees’ mortality, both directly and indirectly. For instance, some experts question anecdotal evidence about why some bees exposed to neonicotinoids apparently do not show the concerning mortality rates that other bees do when exposed to the toxins. The recently published papers point to the need to better understand the molecular action of the pesticides on the bees and how different routes of exposure affect their health.

Beyond the Birds and the Bees moves the spotlight from the risks neonicotinoids pose to bees to the impacts of neonicotinoids to invertebrates such as earthworms or lady beetles. The report provides a comprehensive review of published articles and pulls together the growing body of research that demonstrates risks from neonicotinoids to these beneficial insects. These risks occur particularly in agricultural systems, but are also found in urban and suburban ornamental landscapes. This report details potential negative impacts of neonicotinoid insecticides on important beneficial insects. It also makes recommendations on how we can better protect important beneficials like beetles and wasps.