Startling new research suggests bees are more attracted to nectar containing common and potentially harmful pesticides.
These neonicotinoid pesticides are believed to affect bees' fitness and foraging, Newcastle University reported. The study showed that when buff-tailed bumblebees and honeybees were given a choice between a sugar solution and sugar solution containing neonicotinoids, they chose the contaminated food. Bumblebees ate more of the pesticide-laced solution than honeybees, which could mean they are generally exposed to higher concentrations of these toxins.
"Bees can't taste neonicotinoids in their food and therefore do not avoid these pesticides. This is putting them at risk of poisoning when they eat contaminated nectar," said professor Geraldine Wright, lead scientist on the study at the Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University. "Even worse, we now have evidence that bees prefer to eat pesticide-contaminated food. Neonicotinoids target the same mechanisms in the bee brain that are affected by nicotine in the human brain. The fact that bees show a preference for food containing neonicotinoids is concerning as it suggests that like nicotine, neonicotinoids may act like a drug to make foods containing these substances more rewarding."
The findings suggest that even if alternative food sources are provided for bees in regions where neonicotinoids are used, the bees may still prefer to feed on the contaminated crops. Another concerning factor is that neonicotinoids can also contaminate wild plants growing near human-planted crops, meaning they are a larger part of bees' diets than was previously believed.
Public concern over the impact of neonicotinoids on bees and other important pollinators has been on the rise. This month the European Union introduced a temporary ban on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on flowering crops until further scientific research has been conducted on the subject.
The findings were published in a recent edition of the journal Nature.
