Bees get a buzz off pesticides in same way humans get hooked on smoking
BEES become addicted to pesticides in the same way humans grow dependent on cigarettes.
The more of the nicotinelike chemicals they consume, the more they appear to want, a study has shown.
The findings suggest that the risk of potentially harmful pesticidecontaminated nectar entering bee colonies is higher than thought.
Controversial neonicotinoid pesticides are chemically similar to nicotine, the addictive compound in tobacco.
In 2013, the EU imposed a partial ban on three widely used neonicotinoids because of evidence that they may be harmful to bees.
The ban has now been extended to cover all crops not grown in greenhouses, despite strong opposition.
British researchers offered bumblebees a choice of two sugar solutions, one of which was laced with neonicotinoid pesticides.
They found that, over time, the bees increasingly preferred feeders containing the pesticide-flavoured sugar.
The research tracked 10 bumblebee colonies over 10 days.
Dr Richard Gill, from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London, said: “Our findings that bumblebees acquire a taste for neonicotinoids ticks certain symptoms of addictive behaviour, which is intriguing given the addictive properties of nicotine on humans, although more research is needed to determine this in bees.”
The findings are reported in the journal ‘Proceedings of the Royal Society B.’
Almost a quarter of European bumblebee species are threatened with extinction, largely because of climate change and intensive farming, studies have warned.
Of the five most important pollinators of European crops, three are bumblebee species.