Bees & Neonicotinoids

The sun finally seems to be making a breakthrough here in London town and there are hopeful signs that spring might finally be here.  Hurrah.

In particular we've been reading about neonicotinoids - modern pesticides/insecticides that work by attacking an insect's central nervous system.  They are not sprayed but rather are applied as seed or soil dressings so they are taken into the plant and can't be washed off.  There seems to be growing evidence that whilst these were considered not threatening to bees and other helpful insects, this isn't in fact the case.

"Given the scale of use of neonicotinoids, we suggest that they may be having a considerable negative impact of wild bumblebee populations across the developed world"  University of Stirling report

The aptly named Bee Strawbridge has heaps more info on her blog and is well worth reading.  She's also on Twitter @beestrawbridge.