A widely used insecticide developed by Bayer AG and tied to deaths of honeybees isn’t the main cause of the fatalities, University of Maryland researchers said in a study that may weaken arguments used by environmentalists seeking to ban the chemical.
The insect-killer, imidacloprid, when applied at “realistic” levels doesn’t harm honeybee colonies, according to the three-year study published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE.
“It’s not the sole cause,” said Galen Dively, a entomology professor at Maryland’s College Park campus and lead writer of the study. “It contributes, but there is a bigger picture.”
The chemical may add to stresses such as malnutrition and parasites in causing higher death rates in commercial colonies in the past decade, according to the study.
The pesticide, made by companies including Syngenta AG, Valent USA Corp. and Arysta Lifescience Ltd., is among chemicals known as neonicotinoids, which are similar to nicotine. Environmental groups want the government to ban them because of a possible link to bee deaths, known as Colony Collapse Disorder. The European Union suspended imidacloprid’s use in 2013, citing effects on pollinators.
The study was funded by the university, federal agencies and a nonprofit set up to promote health by the American Beekeeping Federation.
For the rest of this article on Bloomberg.com, click here.