When Choosing Flowers, Bees Go For Their Nicotine Fix
Scientists tested if bees could be influenced to pollinate certain flowers because of chemicals the plants released.
LEARN MOREPosted: 11:30 a.m. EDT Oct 7, 2017
Honey from all over the world contained traces of insecticide, a new analysis shows.
Researchers tested almost 200 samples of honey from almost every continent and found 75 percent contained insecticides known as neonicotinoids.
The highest honey contamination rates were found in North America, where 86 percent of tested honey was contaminated with at least one neonicotinoid. Asia and Europe followed.
Neonicotinoids are some of the most commonly used insecticides. And their presence in honey could be bad news for bees.
Two recent studies found that the chemicals lower bees' life expectancies and reproductive success and suppress their immune system.
Pollinators like bees help about one-third of the global food supply, but their populations have been declining for the past few decades. And there's some worry the declining population could make human nutrition levels worse worldwide.
Neonicotinoids aren't the only reason populations are in decline. A warming climate and loss of habitat also contribute to the loss.
