Flying bee

Neonic replacement not popular with farmers or beekeepers

They’re too expensive, ineffective and still harmful to bees, to cite just some of the concerns expressed

A proposed replacement for a key neonicotinoid pesticide is proving unpopular with everyone — including farmers and beekeepers. Farmers adopted neonic pesticides because they were safer and didn’t damage the environment as older pesticides did. With one of the three used in Canada being phased out, the search for replacements is on. Mark Brock, chairman

Bee deaths appear to be declining during planting season thanks to protective measures.

Bee death reports continue decline: Health Canada

Neonic pesticides have been widely blamed for these losses but the reality is much more complex

Measures to protect pollinators from pesticide residues in dust generated by corn, soybean and canola planting have continued to reduce bee deaths during the planting season, says Health Canada. Following the introduction of the measures in 2014, the number of bee death incidents have remained well below the high levels of 2012 and 2013, the


A bee busily pollinates a canola flower.

Chemical companies pitch bug-killing options

Some environmentalists say just switching to new products won’t solve the underlying problem

Companies that make bug-killing chemicals and natural remedies are racing to take advantage of restrictions on neonics, blamed for harming bees and mayflies. Global sales of neonicotinoids, or neonics, were US$3.01 billion last year, accounting for almost 18 per cent of the global insecticides market, according to consultancy Phillips McDougall. Insecticide sales fell sharply year

Neonic makers respond to Health Canada actions

Neonic makers respond to Health Canada actions

The plan is to phase out imidacloprid while clothianidin and thiamethoxam, 
popular in seed treatments, will undergo a special review

[Updated Dec. 9] – Several years ago when neonicotinoids were linked to bee and other pollinator deaths sparking calls to ban the insecticides, farmers and neonicotinoid makers strongly defended them. Now those products are under fire again due to their effect on aquatic insect life. Health Canada announced Nov. 23 plans to phase out imidacloprid


Rachel Parkinson (r) and Professor Jack Gray use a “video game” to study pesticide effects on insects.

Flight simulator shows pesticide effects

High-tech approach at the University of Saskatchewan uses virtual reality more common to video games


A research project at the University of Sask­atchewan is using a virtual reality flight simulator to measure how locusts are affected by pesticides. Rachel Parkinson, a biology master’s student, is trying to see how insects react to neonicotinoids. “There is a lot of controversy over these pesticides,” said biology professor, Jack Gray, Parkinson’s supervisor. “They

Honeybee numbers and production appear to be rebounding.

Honeybee colonies and production are up

Mitigation measures implemented in 2014 appear to be working

Steps taken to protect honeybees from crop protection products appear to be working. The number of honeybee colonies and their level of production has been rising since 2013, according to testimony to the Senate agriculture committee. Andrea Johnson, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) director general of sector development told the committee the most recently available


Aphids on wheat (l) and an aphid mummy.

Alfalfa weevil levels rapidly decline, high levels of pea aphids still seen

Manitoba Insect & Disease summary for July 13

Summary Insects: Levels of alfalfa weevil larvae are rapidly declining in some alfalfa fields as the larvae mature to pupae. Pea aphid levels are still a concern in some pea fields. Aphid levels are being monitored carefully in some cereal fields; high levels of natural enemies have also been noted in some of these fields and may be

A new study of 75 bee colonies across Scotland suggests one of the so-called “neonics” may not be like the others in its potential risk to bumblebees.


Study finds not all neonics equal when it comes to risks to bees

Clothianidin, the active ingredient in Poncho and Prosper, may have got a bad rap

A group of chemical insecticides known as neonicotinoids that has been banned in Europe due to fears about potential harm to bees has been found in new research to have very differential risks for bumblebees. Scientists who conducted the research said their findings showed that at least one neonicotinoid in the banned group — clothianidin


Entomologist Christian Krupke at the Purdue Bee Laboratory with pollen collected by Indiana honeybees.

Non-crop plants source of most pesticide contamination of bees

One of the most common sources of pollen contamination is home pest control products

Urban landscapes may bear more responsibility for exposing bees to pesticides than previously thought. A recent study from Purdue University, published in the academic journal Nature Communications, found honeybees gathered the vast majority of pollen from non-agriculture crops and were being exposed to both agricultural and domestic pesticides. Entomologist Christian Krupke found pollen samples contained

An apiarist covers beehives on a truck after his bees completed pollinating a blueberry field near Columbia Falls, Maine in June 2014. Honeybees are estimated to pollinate plants that produce about a quarter of the food consumed by Americans, including apples, watermelons and beans.

Vital to food output, pollinators face rising risk

A new global study explores the concerns over pesticides and loss of habitat

Bees and other pollinators face increasing risks to their survival, threatening foods such as apples, blueberries and coffee worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year, the first global assessment of pollinators showed on Feb. 26. Pesticides, loss of habitats to farms and cities, disease and climate change were among threats to about 20,000 species