Fungiciden

11 Bestrijdingsmiddelen kwamen in 2011 normoverschrijdend voor in het beheersgebied van het Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier

Het Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier is verantwoordelijk voor de kwaliteit van het oppervlaktewater in haar beheersgebied. In het onderzoek over 2011 zijn ruim honderd gewasbeschermingsmiddelen gemeten. Voor elk van deze middelen is er reden om aan te nemen dat ze mogelijk een probleem vormen in het gebied van Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier. 44 bestrijdingsmiddelen zijn in 2011 aangetroffen. In Purmerend werden de minste stoffen (12) aangetroffen, in de Anna Paulownapolder de meeste (27). 11 van de onderzochte stoffen overschreden de geldende norm (Methyl-pirimifos, Fenoxycarb, Carbendazim, Imidacloprid, Dinoterb, Pirimicarb, Iprodion, Spinosad, Pyraclostrobine, Aldicarbsulfoxide, Diazinon). Twee van deze normoverschrijdende gewasbeschermingsmiddelen (Dinoterb en Diazinon) zijn in Nederland niet toegelaten.

Beobachtungen der Imker - An der Varroamilbe, deren Bekämpfung zum Jahresablauf jedes Imkers gehört, kann es nicht liegen

„Bienensterben“, so lautete der Titel eines kurzfristig (am 11.01.2012) einberufenen Imkergipfels, der jüngst in der riesigen Produktionshalle von Stefan Mandl, mit ca. 3000 Völkern einer der wenigen Großimker in Wien/Niederösterreich, stattfand. Der Andrang ist enorm, Bienenhalter aus Niederösterreich, dem Burgenland, Wien und auch aus Oberösterreich und der Steiermark sind gekommen. Wobei nach den ersten Situationsberichten die Wurzel des Übels bald ausgemacht wird: Im Wald, in Schrebergärtengebieten und höheren Lagen hat es keine Verluste gegeben – gravierende Schäden wurden eindeutig in der Nachbarschaft bäuerlicher Agrarwirtschaft konstatiert. Das heißt: An der Varroamilbe, deren Bekämpfung zum Jahresablauf jedes Imkers gehört, kann es nicht liegen.

Pestizide belasten Gewässer stärker als gedacht

Pestizide sind ein grösseres Problem als lange angenommen. Zu diesem Schluss kommen Forschende, die Daten zu 500 organischen Substanzen in den Einzugsgebieten von vier grossen europäischen Flüssen ausgewertet haben. Es zeigte sich, dass 38 Prozent dieser Chemikalien in Konzentrationen vorkommen, bei denen Wirkungen auf Organismen nicht auszuschliessen sind. Der Schwerpunkt der Arbeit lag dabei auf den organischen Schadstoffen, die bei über 750’000 Wasseranalysen in den Einzugsgebieten der Flüsse Elbe (Tschechien/Deutschland), Donau (10 Europäische Anrainerstaaten), Schelde (Belgien), und des Llobregat (Spanien) registriert wurden. Insgesamt stuften die Wissenschaftler 73 Verbindungen als potenzielle prioritäre Schadstoffe ein. Rund zwei Drittel davon sind Pestizide (Pflanzenschutzmittel).

Pesticides have major indirect effects on birds

Pesticides have major indirect effects on birds via the killing of both invertebrates important for food and also agricultural weeds which provide seed resources and also cover for invertebrates. Several pieces of evidence support the negative relationship between insecticide spraying and vital rates of farmland bird populations. Probably the best example comes from a fully replicated study of the grey partridge (Perdix perdix L.). This study showed that pesticide spraying affected the invertebrate food of partridge chicks, which was correlated with chick survival, and was the main cause of population decline. More recent examples come from another farmland bird specialist, the yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella). A study showed that arable fields sprayed during the summer were used less frequently than fields not sprayed during the summer by adult yellowhammers foraging for food for their young. The availability of arthropods was depressed up to 20 days after an insecticide spraying event and this negatively affected yellowhammer chick survival. Both herbicide spraying and fungicide spraying have also been shown to be negatively correlated with invertebrate populations and weed populations and so these are also likely to negatively affect farmland bird populations.

Apple orchard pest control strategies affect bird communities in southeastern France

We compared the structure (abundance, species richness, and diversity) of breeding bird communities in 15 apple orchards in southeastern France under conventional or organic pest control over a three-year period (2003–2005). We observed 30 bird species overall. Bird abundance, species richness, and diversity were all affected by pest control strategies, and were highest in organic orchards and lowest in conventional orchards during the three study years. The pest control strategy affected insectivores more than granivores.

Agricultural pesticide use has contributed significantly to the decline of imperiled species in Canada

Anthropogenic habitat loss is usually cited as the most important cause of recent species’ extinctions. We statistically compared areas in Canada where imperiled species currently occur, versus areas where they have been lost. Using multiple regressions, we relate the numbers of species that had suffered range reductions in an ecoregion to variables that represent present habitat loss, pesticide use and human population density. We find high losses of imperiled species in regions with high proportions of agricultural land cover. However, losses of imperiled species are significantly more strongly related to the proportion of the region treated with agricultural pesticides. The relationship between species losses and area treated with pesticides remains significant after controlling for area in agriculture. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that agricultural pesticide use has contributed significantly to the decline of imperiled species in Canada. Habitat conversion per se may be a less important cause of species declines than how that converted habitat is used.

Our gardens become feeding stations for bees, butterflies, bats, hedgehogs, birds and other wildlife provided you don't use pesticides

We grow flowers in our gardens for our own enjoyment. But colour and perfume are really the plants’ way of advertising themselves to insects. Sweet nectar and protein-rich pollen are bait to encourage insects to visit. In return, pollen is carried from one flower to another on their bodies so the flowers are fertilised. Bees are among the most beneficial insects for a garden. The best way to attract them to your garden is to provide them with some of their favourite plants such as lavender, foxgloves, rosemary, sunflowers and bluebells. Flowers with long narrow petal tubes, such as evening primrose and honeysuckle, are visited by moths and butterflies. Only their long tongues can reach deep down to the hidden nectar. Short-tongued insects include many families of flies and some moths. They can only reach nectar in flowers with short florets. Hoverflies, wasps, ladybirds, lacewings, ground beetles and centipedes are the gardener’s friends and will help control garden pests such as aphids and caterpillars. Insects such as spiders, mites, millipedes, sow bugs, ants, springtails and beetles inhabit the soil food web in the uppermost 2 to 8 inches of soil. They participate in decomposing plant and animal residue, cycling nutrients, creating soil structure and controlling the populations of other soil organisms, including harmful crop pests. Decaying organic matter in soil is the source of energy and nutrients for garden vegetables and ornamental plants. By growing flowers attractive to a range of insects, our gardens can also become important feeding stations for bats, hedgehogs, birds and other wildlife. The most important factor when encouraging wildlife into your garden is not to use insecticides.

Pesticides in Fresh Potatoes Sold in Farmers’ Markets in Alberta, Canada

Fresh potatoes (228 samples) from 34 farmers’ markets in Alberta were analyzed for 29 pesticides. Residues of three different pesticides were found in the samples tested with chlorpropham being most frequently detected (n = 13) at concentrations ranging from 15 to 7,600 microgram per kilogram. Azoxystrobin (n = 11) and imidacloprid (n = 8) were found at concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 5.1 and 15–31 microgram per kilogram, respectively. All pesticide concentrations were below Canadian maximum residue limits as established for potatoes. No pesticide residues were detected in 23 potato samples obtained from certified organic farmers.

Neurobehavioral effects of long-term exposure to pesticides

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of pesticides on neurobehavioral performances in French vineyard workers. 929 Workers affiliated to the health insurance system for farmers in the Bordeaux area of south-western France were enrolled in the study in 1997–1998. They were contacted for a first follow-up in 2001–2003. Participants completed a questionnaire and nine neurobehavioral tests. They were classified according to their life-long pesticide exposure, as directly exposed, indirectly exposed or non-exposed. Educational level, age, sex, alcohol consumption, smoking, psychotropic drug use and depressive symptoms were taken into account in the analysis. 614 subjects were available for investigation at follow-up. Follow-up analysis confirmed that the risk of obtaining a low performance on the tests was higher in exposed subjects, with ORs ranging from 1.35 to 5.60. Evolution of performances over the follow-up period demonstrated that exposed subjects had the worst decreases in performance. The risk of having a two-point lower score on the Mini-Mental State Examination was 2.15 (95% CI 1.18 to 3.94) in exposed subjects. These results suggest long-term cognitive effects of chronic exposure to pesticides and raise the issue of the risk of evolution towards dementia. The study is the first to provide prospective data on the natural history of neurological disorders associated with pesticide exposure.

Insecticiden en fungiciden hebben een negatief effect op wilde plantensoorten, insecten en vogels in akkerbouwgebieden

Het gebruik van insecticiden en fungiciden heeft een doorslaggevend negatief effect op wilde planten- en diersoorten in de Europese akkerbouwgebieden. In een onderzoek van Wageningen UR en acht andere Europese universiteiten komt naar voren dat een verdubbeling van de agrarische productie leidt tot een halvering van het aantal wilde plantensoorten. Kevers en broedvogels gaan er met een derde op achteruit. Het internationale onderzoeksteam onderzocht in negen gebieden in West- en Oost-Europa steeds 150 percelen van dertig akkerbouwbedrijven. De onderzoekers maten 23 eigenschappen van het gebruik van het perceel en van het omringende landschap. Hiertoe behoren onder meer de afwisseling van het landschap, de mate van bemesting en de toepassing van chemische bestrijdingsmiddelen, zoals insecticiden en fungiciden. De analyses brachten eenduidig aan het licht dat de toepassing van insecticiden en fungiciden de enige variabelen waren die consistente, steeds weer terugkerende negatieve effecten hadden op de soortendiversiteit van planten, loopkevers en vogels.