Photo by Philip Brown on Unsplash
You may have heard of neonicotinoids, or “neonics” for short, but what are they? The name literally means “new nicotine-like insecticides,” and yes, they are chemically related to nicotine. They are a class of insecticides that are water soluble, dispersed easily through wind, absorbed readily by plants through soil, and long- lived. Because they show up in pollen and nectar, they are devastating to pollinators, especially honeybees and bumble bees.
To learn more about bees, beekeeping, and the impact of neonicotinoids on bee populations, attend our “Backyard Beekeeping” workshop with an instructor from Mt. Diablo Beekeeper's Association on March 15, 10am – 12pm, at Rodgers Ranch. To pre-register, go HERE.
Shell and Bayer developed neonics back in the 1980s and 1990s, and soon after it was discovered these poisons contributed to honeybee colony collapse disorder, a decrease in insects overall, and not surprisingly a subsequent reduction in the bird population, although they “fulfill” their function by being more toxic to insects than birds and mammals. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service banned neonicotinoid insecticides from wildlife refuges starting in January 2016.
By damaging nervous systems in insects, neonics prevent bees from foraging for nectar properly, learning and remembering flower sources, and finding their way back to the hive. They are also a threat to queen bees, thereby causing low reproduction. For these reasons, neonics are insidious because they don’t kill bee colonies outright but rather over time.
What can you do? When you shop at nurseries, it makes sense to look for “bee-friendly plants,” but also be sure to ask how a plant was grown. Was it raised organically? Some nurseries may display labels that say “neonicotinoid free,” otherwise, don’t be afraid to ask specifically if a plant has been raised with this particular insecticide. Inspect insecticide labels closely. The “dirty list” of active ingredients to avoid because they contain neonicotinoids includes: Acetamiprid. Clothianidin, Dinotefuran, Imidacloprid (the most world-wide used insecticide), Nitenpyram, Nithiazine, Thiocloprid, and Thiamethoxam. The following link from the website Friends of the Earth contains a list of the largest home and garden retailers, including Home Depot, Costco, Lowe’s, and Wal-Mart, and the steps each has taken to eliminate neonicotinoids: https://foe.org/nursery-retailer-commitments/
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