Scientists may have found an antidote to pesticides that are directly and indirectly killing bees, according to a new paper published Sept. 5 in Nature Sustainability showing promising early results in common eastern bumblebees.
Scientists may have found an antidote to pesticides that are directly and indirectly killing bees, according to a new paper published Sept. 5 in Nature Sustainability showing promising early results in common eastern bumblebees.
The findings are critically important, as bees provide essential pollination services for close to 80% of the world’s crops, but annual losses of managed U.S. honeybee hives averaged up to 44% between 2017 and 2020. Dozens of studies have documented regional and global declines of wild bees, according to the paper.
The proof-of-concept study in bumblebees describes the use of tiny ingestible hydrogel microparticles – 5 microns in diameter and only visible under a microscope – that physically bind to neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides banned in Europe and still in limited use in the U.S. Once absorbed, the pesticides and microparticles pass through the bee’s digestive tract and are excreted.
Read More: Cornell University
Photo Credit: Noël Heaney/Cornell University
