Title |
Chronic exposure to neonicotinoids reduces honey bee health near corn crops
|
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Published in |
Science, June 2017
|
DOI | 10.1126/science.aam7470 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
N Tsvetkov, O Samson-Robert, K Sood, H S Patel, D A Malena, P H Gajiwala, P Maciukiewicz, V Fournier, A Zayed |
Abstract |
Experiments linking neonicotinoids and declining bee health have been criticized for not simulating realistic exposure. Here we quantified the duration and magnitude of neonicotinoid exposure in Canada's corn-growing regions and used these data to design realistic experiments to investigate the effect of such insecticides on honey bees. Colonies near corn were naturally exposed to neonicotinoids for up to 4 months-the majority of the honey bee's active season. Realistic experiments showed that neonicotinoids increased worker mortality and were associated with declines in social immunity and increased queenlessness over time. We also discovered that the acute toxicity of neonicotinoids to honey bees doubles in the presence of a commonly encountered fungicide. Our work demonstrates that field-realistic exposure to neonicotinoids can reduce honey bee health in corn-growing regions. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Canada | 26 | 15% |
United States | 18 | 10% |
United Kingdom | 12 | 7% |
Japan | 10 | 6% |
Chile | 6 | 3% |
Netherlands | 6 | 3% |
France | 3 | 2% |
Spain | 3 | 2% |
Australia | 1 | <1% |
Other | 15 | 9% |
Unknown | 72 | 42% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 136 | 79% |
Scientists | 31 | 18% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 3 | 2% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 2 | 1% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Chile | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 612 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 106 | 17% |
Student > Bachelor | 89 | 15% |
Researcher | 86 | 14% |
Student > Master | 65 | 11% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 32 | 5% |
Other | 100 | 16% |
Unknown | 135 | 22% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 242 | 39% |
Environmental Science | 80 | 13% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 38 | 6% |
Chemistry | 22 | 4% |
Engineering | 11 | 2% |
Other | 53 | 9% |
Unknown | 167 | 27% |