A pilot study conducted by Friends of the Earth-US and Pesticide Research Institute found that garden plants sold at top retailers contained neonicotinoid pesticides toxic to bees.
Findings include:
- Neonicotinoid residues were detected in seven out of thirteen samples (54 percent) of commercial nursery plants. In the samples with detections, concentrations raged from 11 to 1,500 micrograms per kilogram (ug/kg or parts per billion) of plant material.
- The percentage of contaminated plants and their neonicotinoid concentrations suggest that this problem is widespread, and that many home gardens have likely become a source of exposure for bees.
- For the samples with positive detections, adverse effects on bees and other pollinators are possible, ranging from sublethal effects on navigation, fertility, and immune function to bee death.
More on bees on this blog - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/search/label/Bees
Link to this post - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/08/beware-of-toxic-bee-friendly-garden.html
*****************************************************************************
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for visiting my blog. Your comments are always appreciated, but please do not include links.