Neonicotinoid Insecticides and Their Impacts on Bees: A Systematic Review of Research Approaches and Identification of Knowledge Gaps.
TLDR
It is suggested that effects on the individual bee should be linked to both mechanisms at the sub-individual level and also to the consequences for the colony and wider bee populations as bees are increasingly facing multiple interacting pressures.Abstract:
It has been suggested that the widespread use of neonicotinoid insecticides threatens bees, but research on this topic has been surrounded by controversy. In order to synthesize which research approaches have been used to examine the effect of neonicotinoids on bees and to identify knowledge gaps, we systematically reviewed research on this subject that was available on the Web of Science and PubMed in June 2015. Most of the 216 primary research studies were conducted in Europe or North America (82%), involved the neonicotinoid imidacloprid (78%), and concerned the western honey bee Apis mellifera (75%). Thus, little seems to be known about neonicotinoids and bees in areas outside Europe and North America. Furthermore, because there is considerable variation in ecological traits among bee taxa, studies on honey bees are not likely to fully predict impacts of neonicotinoids on other species. Studies on crops were dominated by seed-treated maize, oilseed rape (canola) and sunflower, whereas less is known about potential side effects on bees from the use of other application methods on insect pollinated fruit and vegetable crops, or on lawns and ornamental plants. Laboratory approaches were most common, and we suggest that their capability to infer real-world consequences are improved when combined with information from field studies about realistic exposures to neonicotinoids. Studies using field approaches often examined only bee exposure to neonicotinoids and more field studies are needed that measure impacts of exposure. Most studies measured effects on individual bees. We suggest that effects on the individual bee should be linked to both mechanisms at the sub-individual level and also to the consequences for the colony and wider bee populations. As bees are increasingly facing multiple interacting pressures future research needs to clarify the role of neonicotinoids in relative to other drivers of bee declines.read more
Citations
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Environmental risks and challenges associated with neonicotinoid insecticides
TL;DR: Future decisions on neonicotinoid use will benefit from weighing crop yield benefits versus environmental impacts to nontarget organisms and considering whether there are more environmentally benign alternatives.
Journal ArticleDOI
An update of the Worldwide Integrated Assessment (WIA) on systemic insecticides. Part 2: impacts on organisms and ecosystems.
Lennard Pisa,Dave Goulson,En-Cheng Yang,David W. Gibbons,Francisco Sánchez-Bayo,Edward A. D. Mitchell,Alexandre Aebi,Jeroen P. van der Sluijs,Jeroen P. van der Sluijs,Chris J.K. MacQuarrie,Chiara Giorio,Elizabeth Y. Long,Melanie McField,Maarten Bijleveld van Lexmond,Jean-Marc Bonmatin +14 more
TL;DR: This review concludes with a summary of impacts on the ecosystem services and functioning, particularly on pollination, soil biota, and aquatic invertebrate communities, thus reinforcing the previous WIA conclusions.
Journal ArticleDOI
A restatement of recent advances in the natural science evidence base concerning neonicotinoid insecticides and insect pollinators
H. Charles J. Godfray,Tjeerd Blacquière,Linda M. Field,Rosemary S. Hails,Simon G. Potts,Nigel E. Raine,Adam J. Vanbergen,Angela R. McLean +7 more
TL;DR: A summary is provided of recent advances in the natural science evidence base concerning the effects of neonicotinoid insecticides on insect pollinators in a format (a ‘restatement') intended to be accessible to informed but not expert policymakers and stakeholders.
Journal ArticleDOI
Mechanism of Neonicotinoid Toxicity: Impact on Oxidative Stress and Metabolism
Xu Wang,Xu Wang,Arturo Anadón,Qinghua Wu,Fang Qiao,Irma Ares,María-Rosa Martínez-Larrañaga,Zonghui Yuan,María-Aránzazu Martínez +8 more
TL;DR: This review summarizes the research conducted over the past decade into the production of reactive oxygen species, reactive nitrogen species, and oxidative stress as aresult of neonicotinoid treatments, along with their correlation with the toxicity and metabolism of neonicsotinoids.
Journal ArticleDOI
Exposure of native bees foraging in an agricultural landscape to current-use pesticides.
TL;DR: The results show native bees collected in an agricultural landscape are exposed to multiple pesticides, these results can direct future research on routes/timing of pesticide exposure and the design of future conservation efforts for pollinators.
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