European Union Bans Neonicotinoid Insecticide to Protect Bees–Here’s Why

The European Union plans to
ban^[1] the world’s most widely
used insecticides in an effort to protect bees and other valuable
pollinator insects.

The ban, approved by member countries Friday, targets
insecticide compounds known as neonicotinoids (also called neonics
for short). The ban is expected to come into force by the end of
the year and will prohibit outdoor use of the chemicals (they may
still be used inside greenhouses).

Neonics were introduced in the late 1980s as a safer alternative
to older insecticides that are more toxic. Yet a growing body of
research has pointed to environmental problems with their use.

Neonics are very effective at destroying the nerve cells of
insects that ingest them. Most corn, soy, and wheat seeds planted
today are coated with neonics. But if a bird eats the
seeds^[2], they could be at risk,
EPA science shows. As the crops grow, the plants incorporate the
neonics into their tissues, making them poisonous to any insect
that nibbles on them. Pollen, nectar, sap, and even dead leaves
contain neonics.

So does the soil, and because neonics readily mix with water,
they’re washed into streams, ponds, rivers, and possibly coastal
zones, according to an international scientific assessment called
Task Force on Systemic
Pesticides^[3].

“Neonics are 5,000 to 10,000 times more toxic than DDT,” said
Jean-Marc Bonmatin^[4]
of The National Centre for Scientific Research in France.

Not only have these insecticides been linked to dramatic
declines in bees and other pollinators, they’re also suspected in
declines in many other insect species, along with
insect-eating birds and bats^[5]. Even important
creatures like earthworms are being damaged by neonics, a four-year
investigation by the task force found.

The EU had previously banned use of neonics on flowering crops
that are known to specifically attract bees, noting that an
estimated three quarters of important food crops may be pollinated
by bees.

These insecticides are used everywhere: in homes, gardens,
farms, greenhouses, orchards, parks, and forests. If a product says
it will kill insects there’s a good chance it contains one of seven
neonicotinoids: acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid,
nitenpyram, nithiazine, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam. (A list of
products containing neonicotinoids can be found on the website for
the U.S.
Center for Food Safety^[6].)