{"id":25381,"date":"2019-08-09T00:00:21","date_gmt":"2019-08-09T04:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=25381"},"modified":"2019-08-08T22:44:03","modified_gmt":"2019-08-09T02:44:03","slug":"insect-honeydew-secretions-contaminated-with-neonicotinoid-insecticides-then-eaten-by-other-insects-and-birds-contribute-to-an-expansive-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/08\/insect-honeydew-secretions-contaminated-with-neonicotinoid-insecticides-then-eaten-by-other-insects-and-birds-contribute-to-an-expansive-threat\/","title":{"rendered":"Insect \u201cHoneydew\u201d Secretions, Contaminated with Neonicotinoid Insecticides then Eaten by Other Insects, and Birds Contribute to an Expansive Threat"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, August 9, 2019)\u00a0A recent study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/em><\/a>, demonstrates a food chain vector for exposure of beneficial insects to neonicotinoid pesticides<\/a> \u2014 the invasive mealybug, in this case. The finding may also be relevant for other phloem-feeding hemipterans<\/a>, which can feed on neonicotinoid-contaminated plants and excrete so-called \u201choneydew\u201d that is then consumed by beneficial insects. A primary \u201cfix\u201d for the decimation of insects and pollinators \u2014 caused chiefly by pesticide use, habitat destruction, and impacts of a rapidly changing climate \u2014 is, of course, the cessation of use of these toxic compounds in agriculture<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The most common route of exposure of beneficial insects to neonicotinoids is through contaminated floral nectar and pollen. The discovery of this \u201choneydew\u201d vector is important because it could potentially affect far more insects than nectar and pollen consumption, given that honeydew is more abundant, especially in agricultural fields. Pollinators such as honey bees, solitary bees, bumblebees, and even birds have been observed feeding on honeydew.<\/p>\n

Neonicotinoids represent more than 20% of the insecticides used worldwide; they are used on crops such as citrus, cotton, oilseed rape, soybean, fruits, potatoes, rice, corn, sunflowers (for seed), ornamentals, fruits, and greenhouse vegetables. The impacts of neonicotinoid (neonic) pesticide exposures on non-target organisms, and on various kinds of bees<\/a>, in particular, have been well established and reviewed<\/a> by Beyond Pesticides and many others.<\/p>\n

Such exposures happen both directly, via application to plants and soils, and indirectly, through the food chain. The researchers, working out of Spain and The Netherlands, found that<\/a>, \u201cNeonicotinoids reach and kill beneficial insects when they feed on the most abundant carbohydrate source for insects in agroecosystems, honeydew. Honeydew is the excretion product of phloem-feeding hemipteran insects such as aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies, or psyllids.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study team applied two commonly used neonic insecticides, thiamethoxam<\/a> and imidacloprid<\/a>, on two batches of potted clementine trees. One batch received the insecticides via application to the soil (the most common application mode) at the recommended concentrations; to the other, the compounds were applied as a foliar spray, although at 50% of the recommended concentrations, in order to assess the effects when low doses of neonicotinoids reach honeydew producers. A third batch was \u201ctreated\u201d with distilled water as a control.<\/p>\n

Researchers then released small hordes of Planococcus citri<\/em>, or the citrus mealybug, onto the trees to feed on them. Then, the beneficial insects\u00a0Sphaerophoria rueppellii<\/em>, or hoverfly (a pollinator in the adult stage and a predator in the juvenile stage) and Anagyrus pseudococci,<\/em>\u00a0a parasitic wasp, were fed with honeydew excreted by the mealybugs.<\/p>\n

Results were bad news for beneficial hoverflies and parasitic wasps<\/a>. Every hoverfly that ate honeydew from the thiamethoxam-sprayed trees died within three days of exposure, compared to 10% of the control group. Of the hoverflies that consumed honeydew from the trees soil-treated with thiamethoxam, nearly 70% died, compared with 14% for the controls. Results for the parasitic wasps were marginally better: more than 50% died after consuming honeydew from both soil- and foliar-treated trees, compared with less than 20% mortality among controls. The honeydew itself was also evaluated: samples from trees treated with thiamethoxam were highly toxic to both species of beneficial insects, and honeydew from those treated with imidacloprid was moderately toxic to hoverflies.<\/p>\n

The researchers conclude<\/a> that honeydew could be an important additional route of insecticide exposure for beneficial insects, including pollinators. They add that this vector of exposure could affect a much broader range of beneficial insects than contaminated nectar and pollen, and therefore, should be included in future environmental risk assessments.<\/p>\n

This concern can now be added to the myriad threats contributing to the \u201cinsect apocalypse.\u201d The role of industrial agriculture<\/a> in creating these toxic risks to insects, never mind to human and environmental health broadly, is huge. In the U.S., in 2011 and 2012, 1.1 billion pounds of pesticides were used, primarily on crops; worldwide, the usage figure for the same period was nearly 6 billion pounds. (Tellingly, it\u2019s difficult to find more-recent figures on use.) As Beyond Pesticides recently reported,<\/a> \u201cMulti-national agrichemical industries \u2014 companies like Bayer Monsanto, DowDupont, Syngenta, and the umbrella organization Croplife, that pervade our food system \u2014 share much of the blame. But through public pressure and consumer choice, we can shift towards alternative products and practices, improve biodiversity, and begin to repair the damage done by industrial agriculture.\u201d<\/p>\n

That shift \u2014 to organic and regenerative agriculture<\/a> \u2014 must be a primary goal. Such a transition will benefit our pollinators, biodiversity at large, the health and functionality of natural environmental systems, human health, and even the ravages of a changing climate. The public can support the transition through consumer choices<\/a> and public advocacy<\/a>. Closer to home, learn about managing pests in non-agricultural environments without use of neonic insecticides<\/a>. There are steps to take<\/a> to support pollinators<\/a>, including avoidance of toxic products; in 2013, Beyond Pesticides provided a list of such products<\/a>.<\/p>\n

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sources: https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/early\/2019\/07\/30\/1904298116<\/a> and https:\/\/www.sciencemag.org\/news\/2019\/08\/tiny-insect-could-be-delivering-toxic-pesticides-honey-bees-and-other-beneficial-bugs<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides, August 9, 2019)\u00a0A recent study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrates a food chain vector for exposure of beneficial insects to neonicotinoid pesticides \u2014 the invasive mealybug, in this case. The finding may also be relevant for other phloem-feeding hemipterans, which can feed on neonicotinoid-contaminated plants and excrete so-called \u201choneydew\u201d that is then consumed by beneficial insects. A primary \u201cfix\u201d for the decimation of insects and pollinators \u2014 caused chiefly by pesticide use, habitat destruction, and impacts of a rapidly changing climate \u2014 is, of course, the cessation of use of these toxic compounds in agriculture. The most common route of exposure of beneficial insects to neonicotinoids is through contaminated floral nectar and pollen. The discovery of this \u201choneydew\u201d vector is important because it could potentially affect far more insects than nectar and pollen consumption, given that honeydew is more abundant, especially in agricultural fields. Pollinators such as honey bees, solitary bees, bumblebees, and even birds have been observed feeding on honeydew. Neonicotinoids represent more than 20% of the insecticides used worldwide; they are used on crops such as citrus, cotton, oilseed rape, soybean, fruits, potatoes, rice, corn, sunflowers (for seed), ornamentals, fruits, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nInsect \u201cHoneydew\u201d Secretions, Contaminated with Neonicotinoid Insecticides then Eaten by Other Insects, and Birds Contribute to an Expansive Threat - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/08\/insect-honeydew-secretions-contaminated-with-neonicotinoid-insecticides-then-eaten-by-other-insects-and-birds-contribute-to-an-expansive-threat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Insect \u201cHoneydew\u201d Secretions, Contaminated with Neonicotinoid Insecticides then Eaten by Other Insects, and Birds Contribute to an Expansive Threat - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"(Beyond Pesticides, August 9, 2019)\u00a0A recent study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrates a food chain vector for exposure of beneficial insects to neonicotinoid pesticides \u2014 the invasive mealybug, in this case. 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By forging ties with governments, nonprofits, and people who rely on these natural resources, we reduce the need for unnecessary pesticide use and protect public health and the environment. Beyond Pesticides provides hands-on services to the public and supports local action by: identifying and interpreting hazards; and, designing safe pest management programs. With the information provided by Beyond Pesticides, people may not only be able to make informed choices and adopt practices that protect themselves and their families from unnecessary exposure to pesticides, but they will be able to effect changes on community-wide pest management decisions and policies that govern pesticide use, such as pesticide uses in parks, schools, for community insect control and along roadsides. 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The finding may also be relevant for other phloem-feeding hemipterans, which can feed on neonicotinoid-contaminated plants and excrete so-called \u201choneydew\u201d that is then consumed by beneficial insects. A primary \u201cfix\u201d for the decimation of insects and pollinators \u2014 caused chiefly by pesticide use, habitat destruction, and impacts of a rapidly changing climate \u2014 is, of course, the cessation of use of these toxic compounds in agriculture. The most common route of exposure of beneficial insects to neonicotinoids is through contaminated floral nectar and pollen. The discovery of this \u201choneydew\u201d vector is important because it could potentially affect far more insects than nectar and pollen consumption, given that honeydew is more abundant, especially in agricultural fields. Pollinators such as honey bees, solitary bees, bumblebees, and even birds have been observed feeding on honeydew. Neonicotinoids represent more than 20% of the insecticides used worldwide; they are used on crops such as citrus, cotton, oilseed rape, soybean, fruits, potatoes, rice, corn, sunflowers (for seed), ornamentals, fruits, […]","og_url":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/08\/insect-honeydew-secretions-contaminated-with-neonicotinoid-insecticides-then-eaten-by-other-insects-and-birds-contribute-to-an-expansive-threat\/","og_site_name":"Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beyondpesticides","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beyondpesticides\/","article_published_time":"2019-08-09T04:00:21+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/images-1.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Beyond Pesticides","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ByondPesticides","twitter_site":"@ByondPesticides","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Beyond Pesticides","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/08\/insect-honeydew-secretions-contaminated-with-neonicotinoid-insecticides-then-eaten-by-other-insects-and-birds-contribute-to-an-expansive-threat\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/08\/insect-honeydew-secretions-contaminated-with-neonicotinoid-insecticides-then-eaten-by-other-insects-and-birds-contribute-to-an-expansive-threat\/"},"author":{"name":"Beyond Pesticides","@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/#\/schema\/person\/1b5c0a0981b549cc5b628770073031f4"},"headline":"Insect \u201cHoneydew\u201d Secretions, Contaminated with Neonicotinoid Insecticides then Eaten by Other Insects, and Birds Contribute to an Expansive Threat","datePublished":"2019-08-09T04:00:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/08\/insect-honeydew-secretions-contaminated-with-neonicotinoid-insecticides-then-eaten-by-other-insects-and-birds-contribute-to-an-expansive-threat\/"},"wordCount":852,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/08\/insect-honeydew-secretions-contaminated-with-neonicotinoid-insecticides-then-eaten-by-other-insects-and-birds-contribute-to-an-expansive-threat\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/images-1.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/08\/insect-honeydew-secretions-contaminated-with-neonicotinoid-insecticides-then-eaten-by-other-insects-and-birds-contribute-to-an-expansive-threat\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/08\/insect-honeydew-secretions-contaminated-with-neonicotinoid-insecticides-then-eaten-by-other-insects-and-birds-contribute-to-an-expansive-threat\/","url":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/08\/insect-honeydew-secretions-contaminated-with-neonicotinoid-insecticides-then-eaten-by-other-insects-and-birds-contribute-to-an-expansive-threat\/","name":"Insect \u201cHoneydew\u201d Secretions, Contaminated with Neonicotinoid Insecticides then Eaten by Other Insects, and Birds Contribute to an Expansive Threat - 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By forging ties with governments, nonprofits, and people who rely on these natural resources, we reduce the need for unnecessary pesticide use and protect public health and the environment. Beyond Pesticides provides hands-on services to the public and supports local action by: identifying and interpreting hazards; and, designing safe pest management programs. With the information provided by Beyond Pesticides, people may not only be able to make informed choices and adopt practices that protect themselves and their families from unnecessary exposure to pesticides, but they will be able to effect changes on community-wide pest management decisions and policies that govern pesticide use, such as pesticide uses in parks, schools, for community insect control and along roadsides. 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