English

In this study, a new method has been developed to determine seven neonicotinoid insecticides (acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, nitenpyram, thiacloprid and thiamethoxam) in bee pollen using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a selective MS detector (qTOF). An efficient sample treatment involving an optimized quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe method was proposed. In all cases, average analyte recoveries were between 91 and 105%, and no matrix effect was observed.

Neonics have been found to affect mammalian nicotinic acetylcholine receptors nAChRs in a way that is similar to the effects of nicotine. These receptors are of critical importance to human brain function, especially during development and for memory, cognition, and behavior. A distinct aspect of neonic toxicity is the ability to bind to the most prominent subtype of nAChRs in mammals, the α4β2, which is found in the highest density in the thalamus.

Since 1994, Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) numbers have declined by 57% in Wales. The Yellowhammer is often thought of as a bird of arable farmland, with declines linked to agricultural intensification in this habitat specifically. However, the decline monitored by Breeding Bird Survey volunteers in Wales suggests the problem is a wider issue, as shown in the latest Breeding Bird Survey report.

Forty years ago, swallows were a common sight in the summer, darting between the beams of old barns or swooping low over the waters of a creek. These swift aerial acrobats seemed to be everywhere -- perched on telephone lines by the dozen awaiting the fall migration, or whirling and diving around old wooden bridges in pursuit of airborne insects. Now, these birds have seemingly disappeared from midair, entirely abandoning large swathes of their former Canadian range. Some, like the bank swallow, have seen their numbers plummet by 98 per cent since 1970.

The tiny, rare insect is now found only on Strensall Common, an area of protected lowland heath near York, having been lost from Newham Bog in Northumberland. But scientists have found that even in its last stronghold numbers have plunged by over 90% in the last seven years, with only 50-100 thought to remain. The centimetre-wide moths rely on the creeping willow bush to feed their caterpillars but an accidental heath fire destroyed a key area of the bushes in 2009.

Blink and you’ll miss them this summer. Around the world, people are reporting that local firefly populations are shrinking or even disappearing.

You do not need to be a naturalist to love butterflies. Dolly Parton sings about them. So does Miley Cyrus. Tracy Morgan says he used to be an angry young man in a cocoon, but “now I’m a beautiful black butterfly.” And the poet Robert Frost once celebrated the “blue-butterfly” days of spring. But hold the lyrics. The butterflies are vanishing, according to an article in this week’s edition of the journal Science, and it’s happening even in protected areas.

Worldwide pollinator declines are attributed to a number of factors, including pesticide exposures. Neonicotinoid insecticides specifically have been detected in surface waters, non-target vegetation, and bee products, but the risks posed by environmental exposures are still not well understood. Pollinator strips were tested for clothianidin contamination in plant tissues, and the risks to honey bees assessed. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) quantified clothianidin in leaf, nectar, honey, and bee bread at organic and seed-treated farms.

This study was undertaken to explore relationships between level of imidacloprid in the serum and semen quality among men farmers in addition to investigating histopathological findings in treated mature male rats. Our research entailed two parts; firstly, human part done on farm workers (n=35) with age between (Mean ± SD 34.3±6.4) and healthy volunteers (n=25) their ages were (35.6±8.2) years old asked to provide semen and blood samples.

Summer is expected to be a flowery, colourful time of year in the garden with butterflies fluttering from one blossom to another. However, if you're a bit of a butterfly boffin, you may have already noticed that there have not been too many of them around this year. The Wall Brown, which has already been in steep decline in recent years, has not been spotted at all this year. This is also the case for four of the other resident species, Purple Hairstreak, Silver-washed Fritillary, Clouded Yellow and Grayling.