Massive declines in insect biodiversity and biomass are reported from many regions and habitats. In urban areas, creation of native wildflower meadows is one option to support insects and reduce maintenance costs of urban green spaces. However, benefits for insect conservation may depend on previous land use, and the size …
Neonicotinoid pesticides, which have been increasingly blamed for the collapse of bee populations, may also impact human's developing nervous system, according to a review of research by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The EFSA says that current safety guidelines for two pesticides—acetamiprid and imidacloprid—may be too lax to protect …
German chemicals group BASF said it launched a legal challenge against the European Commission's ban of BASF's insecticide fipronil, imposed in July on concern its use as seed treatment is linked to declining bee populations. BASF has filed legal action with the General Court of the European Union because "valid …
Rapeseed production is likely to fall in the European Union, top grower of the oilseed, from the 2015 harvest after the bloc voted to protect bees by banning three of the most widely used pesticides. The EU has decided to restrict from December 1 the use of a class of …
A new federal report blames a combination of problems for a mysterious and dramatic disappearance of honeybees across the United States since 2006. The multiple causes make it harder to do something about what is called colony collapse disorder, experts say. The disorder has caused as much as one-third of …
One of the notable details of Monday's landmark ruling to ban the use of some neonicotinoid pesticides across the European Union was Germany's vote in favour. Germany hosts chemical giant Bayer, which makes the most widely used neonicotinoid, but switched from its previous abstention. This move was entirely in line …
Dutch research reveals correlation between water polluted with imidacloprid and low numbers of aquatic insects The world's most widely used insecticide is devastating dragonflies, snails and other water-based species, a groundbreaking Dutch study has revealed. On Monday, the insecticide and two others were banned for two years from use on …
The European Union will ban three of the world's most widely-used pesticides for two years because of fears they are linked to a plunge in the population of bees critical to the production of crops. The executive European Commission said on Monday it would press ahead with the ban on …
The government must suspend the use of dangerous pesticides linked to the death of bees, a committee of MPs said on Friday. The Environmental Audit Committee said in a report that the government was relying on "fundamentally flawed" studies on the issue and that two-thirds of honey bees have suffered …
The government must suspend the use of dangerous pesticides linked to the death of bees, a committee of MPs said on Friday. The Environmental Audit Committee said in a report that the government was relying on "fundamentally flawed" studies on the issue and that two-thirds of honey bees have suffered …
Syngenta and Bayer, top producers of the pesticides blamed for a sharp fall in bee populations around the world, have proposed a plan to support bee health to try to forestall a European Union ban on the products. EU governments failed this month to agree a ban on three widely …
Syngenta and Bayer, top producers of the pesticides blamed for a sharp fall in bee populations around the world, have proposed a plan to support bee health to try to forestall a European Union ban on the products. EU governments failed this month to agree a ban on three widely …
EU governments failed to agree a ban on three widely used pesticides linked to the decline of honeybees on Friday, but the European Commission could force one through by the summer unless member states agree a compromise. A sharp fall in bee populations around the world, partly due to a …
A legal requirement for reduction targets is apparently ignored, as ministers' fig leaf for delaying EU-wide action is blown away by their own chief scientist I forgive you for missing the belated publication of the UK's brand new action plan for the "sustainable" use of pesticides, given that it was …
A campaign to banish pesticides linked to the fall in bee populations appears to be gathering pace after at least five garden centre chains agreed to remove products blamed for the decline. Hardware retailers B&Q;, Wickes and Homebase created a buzz last month when they confirmed they would stop stocking …
The European Commission is fighting a rearguard action to force farmers to work in a way that benefits the environment. The Commission, which drafts EU laws, proposed that farmers should have to "earn" a third of their subsidies by protecting wildlife better. The scheme was weakened as part of last …
Germany's Bayer CropScience blasted a European Commission proposal as "draconian" after Brussels said it wants to suspend all use of neonicotinoids products in crops attractive to bees for two years. A report by European food safety watchdog EFSA linked the use of these pesticides to the declining bee population. The …
The European Commission has proposed that member states restrict the use of certain classes of pesticide that are believed to be harmful to bees. Sprays that use neonicotinoid chemicals should only be used on crops that are not attractive to the insects they said. The sale of seeds treated with …
The European Commission is considering law to ban pesticides linked to the decline of bees, a spokesman said on Friday. A report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) earlier this month said three widely-used pesticides made by Switzerland's Syngenta and Germany's Bayer posed an acute risk to honeybees. "We …
Campaigners say the conclusion by the European Food Safety Authority is a 'death knell' for neonicotinoid pesticides The world's most widely used insecticide has for the first time been officially labelled an "unacceptable" danger to bees feeding on flowering crops. Environmental campaigners say the conclusion, by Europe's leading food safety …
Chronic exposure of bumblebees to two pesticides (a neonicotinoid and a pyrethroid) independently and in combination, at concentrations approximating field-level exposure, impairs natural foraging behaviour and increases worker mortality, with knock-on effects for brood development and colony success.
