A team from York University in Canada determined that honeybees exposed to realistic levels of neonicotinoids die sooner than those not exposed.

From May to September, eleven apiaries were studied – five near neonicotinoid-treated agriculture, and six far from agriculture. The researchers found that the contaminated pollen that the bees collected came from plants growing adjacent to the crops treated with the insecticide, not the crops themselves, indicating that the neonicotinoids spill over into the surrounding environment.

In the next phase of the study, the research team spent 12 weeks feeding colonies artificial pollen with progressively smaller levels of neonicotinoids, imitating what would happen in the field. Bees exposed to the treated pollen early in their life had their lifespans shortened by 23 percent.

In addition, the researchers found that boscalid, a commonly used fungicide also known as Emerald, Endura or Pristine, can make neonics twice as deadly to honeybees.

To read the full study, visit https://tinyurl.com/ydg32xl8.