Neonics

Neonics—the full name is Neonicotinoids—are insecticides that attack the central nervous system of insects causing paralysis and death. Neonics have been demonstrated to pose significant threats to bees, soil and water. They are systemic and water soluble. This means that the insecticide is absorbed and spreads throughout the plant. Nectar and pollen from the plant contain the chemical, as will the seeds that plant produces. In fact, neonics are now coated on seeds, particularly corn and soybean seeds, before planting, and so neonics are in the entire life cycle of the plant and persist in the environment and in animals that eat parts of the plant.

A study published in August 2019 in the science journal PLOS ONE, demonstrated that since neonics were first introduced 25 years ago, U.S. agriculture has become 48 times more toxic to insect life. Neonics are reportedly responsible for 92% of that surge in toxicity.

This study identified a dramatic increase in the toxic burden of U.S. agriculture on insects beginning in 2004. This coincides with the first reports by beekeepers of significant losses of their hives from what came to be known as CCD.

At this time the manufacturers of neonics, Bayer and Syngenta, began to coat the seeds of corn and soy, the two predominant crops grown on millions of acres across the country. These seed coatings now account for the vast majority of neonic use in the U.S.

A recent study found that when birds eat seeds treated with neonicotinoid pesticides, they immediately lose weight, which in turn hinders their ability to migrate.

Numerous studies have shown how bees are weakened by exposure to neonics, with reduced foraging efficiency and homing ability.

A recent British study published in the journal Ecology and Evolution found that bees exposed to neonicotinoids are only capable of flying a third of the distance that unexposed bees can manage.

An April 2019 report in the journal Scientific Reports showed that neonics hinder bees' ability to fend off deadly mites.

The study at the University of Guelph revealed that when honey bees infected with varroa mites are exposed to even low doses of a neonicotinoid regularly, their self-grooming behavior drops off. Without that self-grooming, bees are unable to rid themselves of deadly mites that can also carry viruses that can quickly kill.

The study examined sites in England, Hungary and Germany. Much greater impacts were found in England and Hungary than in Germany. In England and Hungary, the study was done in a monocultural crop environment. In Germany much greater forage diversity continues to exist, with traditional hedgerows and wildflowers still found in many agricultural areas. The scientists who analyzed the data conclude that bees are particularly vulnerable to neonic exposure when they are largely dependent on monoculture, pesticide-treated crops for food.

Neonicotinoids have been recognized worldwide as a key factor in bee decline, and both the European Union and Canada have partial restrictions on their use in place.

In the U.S., not only has the EPA stalled scientific review of neonics, last year the Fish and Wildlife Service reversed an Obama-era ban on use of these dangerous insecticides in wildlife refuges.

Other resources:

Safe Roundup Alternatives: https://www.consumernotice.org/environmental/pesticides/roundup/alternatives/
Pesticide Action Network: www.panna.org
Reducing Pesticide Use: https://www.xerces.org/pesticides
Beyond Pesticides: www.bit.ly/lawncare
Carey Gillam, Whitewash, The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science, Island Press, 2017