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Field exposure to pesticides, especially with relation to neonicotinoids, [13] may lead to multiple physiological and/or behavioral sublethal effects in exposed bees. [14] Sublethal effects to honey bees can include disruptions to behavioral and motor functions, compromised immunity, and delayed development.
The accident was found to be the result of improper planting procedures and the weather. However, in 2009, Germany suspended authorization for the use of clothianidin on corn, citing unanswered questions that remained about potential exposure of bees and other pollinators to neonicotinoid pesticides. [40]
Although the existence of pollinator decline can be difficult to determine, a number of possible reasons for the theoretical concept have been proposed, such as exposure to pathogens, parasites, and pesticides; habitat destruction; climate change; market forces; intra- and interspecific competition with native and invasive species; and genetic alterations.
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Pesticides that are applied to crops can volatilize and may be blown by winds into nearby areas, potentially posing a threat to wildlife. [51] Weather conditions at the time of application as well as temperature and relative humidity change the spread of the pesticide in the air. As wind velocity increases so does the spray drift and exposure.
Use of neonicotinoid pesticides in the US increased after 2005, coincident with rising bee deaths. [122] Most corn (maize) grown in the US is grown from seeds treated with neonicotinoids. Although maize is wind-pollinated, honey bees that happen to be foraging on the plants may be exposed to pesticide residues in the nectar and pollen.
A male Xylocopa virginica (Eastern Carpenter bee) on Redbud (Cercis canadensis). Bees can suffer serious effects from toxic chemicals in their environments. These include various synthetic chemicals, particularly insecticides, as well as a variety of naturally occurring chemicals from plants, such as ethanol resulting from the fermentation of organic materials.
Scientists believe that bee losses are likely caused by a combination of stressors, including poor bee nutrition, loss of forage lands, parasites, pathogens, lack of genetic diversity, and exposure to pesticides. [43] In May 2015, the Pollinator Health Task Force issued a "National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other ...