Are Neonicotinoids Killing The Local Bees Population?
- By ED BARBER Staff Writer
Vermont, has approximately 900 registered beekeepers, but when you include the many hobby and backyard beekeepers in the state, there is a significant interest in what is happening to the bees. Growing worry over hive death in the wild and for apiaries has increased as a potential tie between treated seeds and hive death has come to light.
House bill H.626 addresses a growing concern that insecticide treated seeds are toxic to invertebrate like insects and is linked to a declining bee population. The House Agriculture and Forestry Committee is finalizing language to monitor neonicotinoids.
Neonicotinoids act similarly to nicotine in that the chemical acts on certain kinds of receptors in the nerve synapse. According to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, these low level exposures do not normally kill bees directly. But, they may impact some bees’ ability to forage for nectar, learn, and remember where flowers are located. and possibly impair their ability to find their way home to the nest or hive.
Are Neonicotinoids Killing The Local Bees Population? | News | newportvermontdailyexpress.com
