21
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 21, 2025) The presence of Varroa mites in combination with the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid increases the risk of bee mortality and disrupts the larval gut microbiome, according to a study of the synergy (a greater combined effect) between Varroa destructor, a parasitic mite that attacks and feeds on honey bees, and imidacloprid. The study in Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology adds to the growing body of science on the severely declining bee population by investigating the toxic effects of both the parasites and pesticide stressors in honey bees (Apis mellifera). âGiven that V. destructor may increase beesâ sensitivity to imidacloprid by compromising their physiological health and immunity, this study systematically assesses the effects of V. destructor infestation and imidacloprid exposure on honey bee survival, detoxification enzyme activity, and gut microbiota,â the authors explain. The intestinal tract and gut microbiome are crucial for digestion, metabolism, nutrient absorption, immune regulation, and pathogen defense. Within honey bees, the gut microbiome is “highly susceptible to external environmental stressors, such as pesticide exposure and parasitic infections [and] these disturbances can lead to microbial imbalances, ultimately affecting bee health.â (See studies here and here.) Previous research earlier this year, captured in Daily News Variability […]
Posted in Beneficials, Biodiversity, Imidacloprid, Microbiome, neonicotinoids, Pollinators, synergistic effects | No Comments »
31
Jul
(Beyond Pesticides, July 31, 2025) A study published in Environmental Advances finds that hundreds of honeybee hives across central and northern Italy are contaminated with various pesticides and their metabolites, including glyphosate and fosetyl. âThere was no significant difference in glyphosate presence between dead/dying and live bees, suggesting chronic exposure rather than acute toxicity. However, higher pesticide concentrations in dead/dying bees indicate potential sublethal effects contributing to colony distress,â according to the authors. This peer-reviewed study builds on the mounting evidence outlined in the literature connecting pesticide residues to nontarget harm to pollinators and other insects and animals that are critical to biodiversity. Background and Methodology âThe primary objectives of this study were to develop and validate a reliable, sensitive method for analyzing polar pesticides [highly soluble in water] in honeybees and to investigate polar pesticides residue levels in honeybees across northern and central Italy,â say the researchers of this study, who conduct research at the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Lombardy and Emilia Romagna âBruno Ubertini”, Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Umbria and Marche âTogo Rosatiâ, and Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Lazio and Tuscany “M. Aleandri.” 314 honeybee samples were gathered voluntarily from local beekeepers in six regions of northern and […]
Posted in Chemical Mixtures, Chemicals, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), glufosinate, Glyphosate, International, Persistence, Poisoning, Pollinators, Uncategorized | No Comments »
18
Jul
(Beyond Pesticides, July 18, 2025) A study in Royal Society Open Science shows intraspecific differences (between individuals of a species) in wild bumblebees (Bombus vosnesenskii) exposed to an herbicide (glyphosate), a fungicide (tebuconazole), and an insecticide (imidacloprid), with gut microbiome health as a factor. âWild pollinator declines are increasingly linked to pesticide exposure, yet it is unclear how intraspecific differences contribute to observed variation in sensitivity, and the role gut microbes play in the sensitivity of wild bees is largely unexplored,â the authors explain. âHere, we investigate site-level differences in survival and microbiome structure of a wild bumble bee exposed to multiple pesticides, both individually and in combination.â In collecting 175 individuals of this wild, foraging species from an alpine meadow, a valley lake shoreline, and a suburban park and exposing them to a diet with individual pesticides and mixtures, the researchers assess the varying lethal and sublethal effects that can occur with pesticide exposure. Between the three sites, the survival differences âemphasize the importance of considering population of origin when studying pesticide toxicity of wild beesâ and highlight how pesticide sensitivity not only varies between species but within individuals of the same species with site-specific impacts. (See previous Daily […]
Posted in Beneficials, Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, Glyphosate, Imidacloprid, Microbiome, Nevada, Pesticide Mixtures, Pesticide Regulation, Pollinators, synergistic effects, tebuconazole, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
11
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 11, 2025) Researchers developed a novel tool* in a recent study published in Nature Communications this year that successfully creates a map of the âpesticide-gut microbiota-metabolite network,â identifying âsignificant alterations in gut bacteria metabolism.â While the study authors acknowledge that this is not a complete map, since they selected specific pesticides and bacterial partners, the research adds to the body of peer-reviewed scientific literature that underscores the relationship between pesticide residues and human gut health. Organic farmers, as well as any land steward invested in agroecological practices and soil health, understand that microbial life (both in the body and in the soil) is dangerously undermined by the status quo of chemical-intensive land management. Background and Methodology The researchers leverage mass spectrometry to test metabolite (metabolomics) and lipid (lipidomics) relationships with pesticide residues, as well as an in vivo mouse model. *The map itself is a form of computational biology, which advocates have warned could be a false solution if not accompanied by other proven scientific methods. See here for analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council on risks of unproven methods such as New Approach Methodologies [NAMs]. All major phylogenetic (âevolutionary relationships among biological entitiesâ) groups are […]
Posted in Chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, DDT, Diazinon, Dichlorvos, Endosulfan, Glyphosate, Malathion, Metabolites, methoxychlor, Microbiata, Microbiome, Parathion, Permethrin, Uncategorized | No Comments »
29
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 29, 2025) A study in Environment International finds pesticide-induced alterations in the gut microbiota of a farmland raptor species. In collecting blood and cloacal samples from Montaguâs harrier (Circus pygargus) nestlings, the authors âshed light on an overlooked collateral effect of pesticides, i.e., a general modification of gut bacterial assemblages,â which can lead to an imbalance of microorganisms (dysbiosis) and the promotion of potential pathogens, as well as negatively impact the health of birds of prey. âAdditionally, our findings support the ‘One Health‘ framework, stressing the interconnectedness of wildlife, ecosystem, and human health, particularly in pesticide-affected agricultural areas,â the researchers share. âThe gut microbiota is crucial for host health and can be impacted by various environmental disruptions, yet the effects of multiple pesticide exposures on farmland organismsâ microbiomes remain largely unexplored,â the authors state. In the study, they âassessed microbiota changes in a wild apex predator exposed to multiple pesticides in agricultural landscapes,â which âprovides evidence of pesticide impacts on wildlife gut microbiota, highlighting links between pesticide exposure and changes in microbiota composition,â the researchers note. The Montaguâs harrier, as an apex predator, serves as a âbio-sentinelâ or bioindicator species for assessing ecosystem health. âAs top-level predators […]
Posted in Acetochlor, Alternatives/Organics, Biodiversity, Birds, Chlorpyrifos, Gut Dysbiosis, Microbiome, Pesticide Mixtures, Quinoxyfen, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
07
Oct
(Beyond Pesticides, October 7, 2024) American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a newly revised technical report describing how antibiotic use in animal agriculture contributes to the development of antibiotic resistance in medical use and can adversely affect child healthâ in the context of this fast-emerging threat to U.S. and global health. This AAP finding comes just as the United Nations (UN) held its second High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)âŻon September 26 (the first was held in 2016) at which global leaders committed âto a clear set of targets and actions, including reducing the estimated 4.95 million human deaths associated with bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) annually by 10% by 2030.â The release from the UN, âWorld leaders commit to decisive action on antimicrobial resistance,â states, âThe Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), known as the Quadripartite, welcome the declaration. The Quadripartite applauds countries for recognising the need for global, regional and national efforts to address AMR through a One Health approach, which recognizes that the health of people, animals, plants and the wider environment, including ecosystems, are closely […]
Posted in Agriculture, Antibiotic Resistance, Antimicrobial, Resistance, Take Action, Uncategorized | No Comments »
17
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 17, 2024) Today, International Microorganism Day, is a prime moment to focus on the complexity of billions of living beings that establish the foundation of land management and food production. Organic advocates, community members, and farmers identify the protection and enhancement of biological diversity in the soil as a key goal, especially in light of mounting concerns over rising microbial resistance to chemical-intensive practices. A recent article in British Journal of Environmental Sciences points to several microbial populations adversely affected by pesticide-contaminated soil on various farmland plots in Nigeria. There are significant variations in bacteria presence between pesticide-treated and control plots, with a lab analysis finding â[s]eventy-five percent (75%) of pesticide residue was detected in the soil samples,â which includes paraquat dichloride, endosulfan, diazinon, and N-(phosponomethyl)glycine [glyphosate]. This report builds on years of research from higher education institutions worldwide, including participatory research centering applied experiments on farmland, demonstrating the consequences of relying on pesticide-intensive agriculture and land management. The main goal of this report is to âdetermine the influence of pesticide contamination on the microbial population, physiochemical parameters and pesticide residue of soil of selected farmlands in Otuoke, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.â Researchers document the presence of eleven […]
Posted in Antibacterial, Antibiotic Resistance, Antimicrobial, Biodiversity, Diazinon, Endosulfan, Glyphosate, Microbiata, Paraquat, Pesticide Residues, soil health, Uncategorized | No Comments »
15
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 15, 2024) Adding to research that has linked insecticide disruption of the gut microbial community to the progression of Parkinsonâs Disease (PD) in the brain is a recently published study that further examines the gut-brain mechanism at work. A review by neuroscientist Nabanita Ghosh, PhD in Chemical Research in Toxicologyâcoauthored by Krishnendu Sinha, PhD, molecular toxicologist and applied pharmacologist, and molecular toxicologist Parames C. Sil, PhDâfocuses on how pesticide-induced microbial community alterations specifically drive the initiation of PD and the precise mechanism. The study also explores microbiota changes at different stages of PD progression, offering recent findings.    The researchers derive their data from the examination of PD patients, evaluating the âinteraction between pesticides and gut bacteria in PD patients, summarizing how pesticides cause imbalances in gut bacteria, the resulting changes, and their overall effects on the PD prognosis.â  The review âlooks at how pesticides and gut bacteria separately influence PD development and progression, highlighting the harmful effects of pesticides and changes in gut bacteria.â The team concludes that pesticide exposure is connected to PD onset through âdisturbances in gut function and alterations in intestinal microbiota.â However, the âexact role of microbial factors in this connection remains […]
Posted in Brain Effects, Gut Dysbiosis, Microbiata, Microbiome, Paraquat, Parkinson's, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
15
May
(Beyond Pesticides, May 15, 2024) A study published recently in the journal Environmental Research finds a significant correlation between exposure to certain pesticides and an elevated risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic autoimmune condition of the gastrointestinal tract. The study, adding to the body of science on this subject, evaluates self-reported data from licensed pesticide applicators and their spouses exposed to pesticides for over 20 years. In addition, while some of the chemicals found to be most closely associated with incidents of IBD have been banned from use, they are âforeverâ chemicals that persist in the environment for generations. These findings demonstrate once again the failings of the current regulatory process to identify hazards before they are put into the environment. The study found evidence that exposure to several organochlorine insecticides (dieldrin, DDT, and toxaphene), as well as organophosphate insecticides (parathion, terbufos, and phorate) and herbicides (2,4,5-T, 2,4,5-TP, and metolachlor), is associated with elevated IBD risk. IBD is a generic term for diseases that result in chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, such as Crohnâs disease and ulcerative colitis. It is estimated that 6.8 million patients globally suffered from IBD in 2017. IBD may result from an imbalance […]
Posted in Agriculture, Cancer, Carbamates, Cardiovascular Disease, Chemical Mixtures, Chemicals, DDT, Dieldrin, Disease/Health Effects, Environmental Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Farmworkers, Glyphosate, Gut Dysbiosis, Herbicides, Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Iowa, Lindane, Liver Damage, metabolic syndrome, Metolachlor, Microbiata, Microbiome, North Carolina, organochlorines, organophosphate, Parathion, Phorate, soil health, synergistic effects, terbufos, toxaphene, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
