‘Insect-friendly’ plants could be killing off bees

MOST ‘insect-friendly’ plants sold in garden centres and supermarkets are laced with chemicals that could be killing endangered bees, a study found.

More than 70 per cent of ‘pollinator-friendly’ specimens studied by scientists tested positive for pesticides.

Of 29 plants examined at Sussex University, 27 contained the chemicals. One type of heather bought from a garden centre chain contained five insecticides as well as five fungicides.

while the level of contamination is unlikely to pose a risk to human health, experts are concerned at the threat the plants pose to bees and other insects.

all tested specimens are on the list of ‘pollinator-friendly’ plants produced and promoted by the royal Horticultural Society.

it compiled the list to encourage gardeners to buy plants that benefit bees, whose numbers have fallen dramatically. The 70 per cent that tested positive were found to contain traces of neonicotinoid or ‘neonic’ insecticides. These included three banned in agriculture across the eU due to the threat to bees.

They came from east Sussex retailers including various supermarket and diy chains as well as one, smaller, family-run garden centre. among the plants purchased were favourites such as lavender, dahlias, foxgloves, crocuses, allium, salvia and bellflowers. Of the plants tested, more than half – 15 – bore the ‘Perfect for Pollinators’ rHS logo on displays.

in the study, which will shortly be published in the scientific journal environmental Pollution, neonic traces were found in the pollen and nectar of the plants at levels similar to those found in the pollen of treated agricultural crops.

The report concludes: ‘all the retailers we tested were selling plants containing highly variable combinations of potentially harmful chemicals, so any purchaser is playing “russian roulette” with their garden pollinators.’

a spokesman for friends of The earth called for retailers to carry out urgent checks.

The organisation’s bee campaigner nick rau said: ‘retailers should urgently investigate their supply chains and make it clear to growers that they don’t want these chemicals in their plants.’

The scientists are urging gardeners to either grow their plants from seed, buy from organic nurseries or swap and share plants with fellow gardeners. and they are also calling on retailers to start labelling plants more clearly.

an rHS spokesman said: ‘we take this report very seriously.’

‘Buyers playing Russian roulette ’