11
Jul
Dozens of Pesticide Residues, Including Illegal Compounds, Found Through BeeNet Initiative
(Beyond Pesticides, July 11, 2024) Can the health of pollinator hives serve as a nature-based indicator for pesticide residue drift? Researchers in a study published in Science of the Total Environment in June find this to be the case. Through the BeeNet Initiative, led by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forestry (MAFSF), researchers detected the presence of 63 different pesticide residues in hives across northern Italy. Of these residues, 15 are not approved for use under European Union (EU) law. Environmental advocates observe the mounting scientific literature on pollinator decline, in part due to the inadequate regulation of toxic petrochemical-based pesticides, as a call to action to push forward land management, agricultural, and climate policy that aligns with organic principles centering on soil health, biodiversity, public health, worker protections, and economic security.
Methodology
The study is cowritten by a cohort of ten researchers working in the Research Center for Agriculture and Environment in Bologna, Italy—a research institution within the Council for Agricultural Research and Agricultural Economics Analysis (CREA) at MAFSF. Supported by the BeeNet Initiative (funded by Italian National Fund), BeeNet is a national monitoring project that tracks the health of honey bee and wild bee populations in agroecological systems across hundreds of stations nationwide. The National Bee Monitoring Network (a.k.a. Honey Bees Network) consists of over 350 stations, or 1,750 hives, to inform research on apiary growth and development and susceptibility to pathogens. The Wild Bee Biodiversity Network (a.k.a. Wild Bees Network), in partnership with local universities, tracks the health and wellbeing of over 1,000 known wild pollinators in 11 regions to better inform biodiversity policy across various Italian agroecosystems since there are existing significant gaps in scientific understanding of native pollinators. The study builds on the National Bee Monitoring Network data published online, with a print release date of October 1, 2024 in Volume 945 of Science of The Total Environment.
Researchers on the study team tested for 373 active ingredients, drawing data from 25 stations in the 2021-2022 period. Of the 373 pesticides screened for, researchers found residues of 63 pesticides in their study hives. Each BeeNet station contains five hives using “standard beekeeping practices†(which includes “controlling varroa mite infestation at least twice a year using only approved treatments.â€) It is unclear what these treatments refer to and if they are in compliance with the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances pursuant to the organic certification standards in the U.S. and EU. Beebread, a mixture of pollen and nectar or honey found in any given hive, was gathered from each station by gathering it from across the five hives in each station. The samples were collected in March and June of 2021 and 2022, totaling 100 samples compiled at moments in the year with highest probability of pesticide applications.
Fig. 1. Location of the 25 BeeNet stations in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna. (Courtesy: CREA Center)
Findings
Of the 373 active ingredients, 63 different compounds were found across all samples. The range in multiresidue presence at its lowest was 22 in March 2022 to 40 in June 2021. The vast majority—over 90 percent—were fungicides and insecticides. Just 16 of the 100 beebread samples were completely pesticide-free and all of those were gathered in 2022. The most commonly detected pesticides include six fungicides (captan, carbendazim, dimethomorph, folpet, metalaxyl, tebuconazole) and one herbicide (pendimethalin).
The other pesticide residues found in beebread samples include Acetamiprid, Acrinathrin, Azoxystrobin, Boscalid, Bromuconazole, Buprofezin, Carbaryl, Chlorantraniliprole, Chlorfenvinphos, Chlorpyriphos-ethyl, Chlorpyriphos-methyl, Cyazofamid, Cyprodinil, Dieldrin, Difenconazol, Etaconazole, Etofenprox, Fenbuconazole, Fenhexamid, Fipronil, Fluazinam, Fludioxonil (fludioxinil), Flupyradifurone, Imidacloprid, Indoxacarb, Iprovalicarb, Kresoxim-methyl, Lenacil, Mandipropamid, Metaflumizone, Methoxyfenozide, Metolachlor (sum of isomers), Metribuzin, Amitraz (DMF+DMPF), Oxadiazon, Paclobutrazol, Penconazole, Permethrin (sum of isomers), Phosmet, Propargite, Pyracarbolid, Pyraclostrobin,Pyrimethanil, Pyriproxyfen, Spinosad (sum of spinosyn A and spinosyn D), Spirotetramat (+Spirotetramat-enol + Spirotetramat_keto-OH), Spiroxamine, tau-Fluvalinate, Tebufenozide, Tebufenpyrad, Terbuthylazine, Tetraconazole, Thiamethoxam, Trifloxystrobin, Triflumuron, and Zoxamide. This alphabet soup of pesticides present in ecosystems nationwide underscores the infiltration of pesticides and their breakdown chemicals into the broader ecosystem.
Pollinator Health and Pesticide Residues
In the spirit of Pollinator Week (June 17 to 23), Beyond Pesticides highlighted existing scientific literature as it pertains to the threat of toxic petrochemical pesticide exposure. A different study published this year in Science of The Total Environment identified – at a molecular level – that bees exposed to synthetic pesticides (particularly pyrethroid and neonicotinoid insecticides) face adverse effects to their gut microbiota, ultimately impacting pollinator biodiversity and wellbeing over their lifespan. On the issue of neonic-treated seeds, a PLOS One study found that butterfly species, with a specific concentration on the beloved monarch butterfly, are facing a rapid decline in populations in the U.S. Midwest region between 1998 and 2014. While the documentation of scientific literature continues to build upon the existing consensus that the ongoing application of insecticides imposes toxic harms imposed on pollinators, a report from U.S. Right to Know demonstrates the continued effort of pesticide manufacturers to influence scientific research, including at the Academic Society of Entomologists. Health and environmental advocates demand action to prevent attacks on sound, independent science. See one of the latest Actions of the Week, EPA’s Failures Go Beyond Pollinators, to tell EPA that to meet its obligations under Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA), the agency must facilitate a transition to organic practices and to tell Congress to ensure that EPA meets its statutory obligations.
Take Action
Science writer, historian, and author Elizabeth Kolbert reflected on the history of mass extinction events across Earth’s history and underscored – building on substantial from experts across various disciplines of study – that there is currently a sixth mass extinction event underway, and insects are a prime target. Advocates are steadfast in their belief that there must be a systems-change approach to land management and agriculture that prohibits the use of toxic pesticides that directly contribute to biodiversity collapse, destruction of ecosystem services, and the climate emergency. The efficacy of global food supply chains and agroecological systems depend upon the wellbeing of pollinators and recognition as keystone species. See Keeping Organic Strong to learn more about the ecological benefits of transitioning to organic food and land management systems. See Daily News sections on pollinators and biodiversity for additional analysis on the intersection pollinator health and biodiversity protections. See Pesticide-Induced Disease Database section on biodiversity to read the latest scientific literature on pesticide infiltration and subsequent deleterious impacts on ecosystem stability.
All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.
Source: Science of the Total Environment
