Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1038/s41586-023-06773-3
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) Pesticide use negatively affects bumble bees across European landscapes
Author Nicholson, C.C.; Knapp, J.; Kiljanek, T.; Albrecht, M.; Chauzat, M.-P.; Costa, C.; De la Rúa, P.; Klein, A.-M.; Mänd, M.; Potts, S.G.; Schweiger, O.; Bottero, I.; Cini, E.; de Miranda, J.R.; di Prisco, G.; Dominik, C. ORCID logo ; Hodge, S.; Kaunath, V.; Knauer, A.; Laurent, M.; Martínez-López, V.; Medrzycki, P.; Pereira-Peixoto, M.H.; Raimets, R.; Schwarz, J.M.; Senapathi, D.; Tamburini, G.; Brown, M.J.F.; Stout, J.C.; Rundlöf, M.
Source Titel Nature
Year 2024
Department BZF; iDiv
Volume 628
Issue 8007
Page From 355
Page To 358
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Data and Software links https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24235573
Supplements https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41586-023-06773-3/MediaObjects/41586_2023_6773_MOESM1_ESM.pdf
https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41586-023-06773-3/MediaObjects/41586_2023_6773_MOESM2_ESM.pdf
https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41586-023-06773-3/MediaObjects/41586_2023_6773_MOESM3_ESM.pdf
Abstract Sustainable agriculture requires balancing crop yields with the effects of pesticides on non-target organisms, such as bees and other crop pollinators. Field studies demonstrated that agricultural use of neonicotinoid insecticides can negatively affect wild bee species1,2, leading to restrictions on these compounds3. However, besides neonicotinoids, field-based evidence of the effects of landscape pesticide exposure on wild bees is lacking. Bees encounter many pesticides in agricultural landscapes4,5,6,7,8,9 and the effects of this landscape exposure on colony growth and development of any bee species remains unknown. Here we show that the many pesticides found in bumble bee-collected pollen are associated with reduced colony performance during crop bloom, especially in simplified landscapes with intensive agricultural practices. Our results from 316 Bombus terrestris colonies at 106 agricultural sites across eight European countries confirm that the regulatory system fails to sufficiently prevent pesticide-related impacts on non-target organisms, even for a eusocial pollinator species in which colony size may buffer against such impacts10,11. These findings support the need for postapproval monitoring of both pesticide exposure and effects to confirm that the regulatory process is sufficiently protective in limiting the collateral environmental damage of agricultural pesticide use.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=28356
Nicholson, C.C., Knapp, J., Kiljanek, T., Albrecht, M., Chauzat, M.-P., Costa, C., De la Rúa, P., Klein, A.-M., Mänd, M., Potts, S.G., Schweiger, O., Bottero, I., Cini, E., de Miranda, J.R., di Prisco, G., Dominik, C., Hodge, S., Kaunath, V., Knauer, A., Laurent, M., Martínez-López, V., Medrzycki, P., Pereira-Peixoto, M.H., Raimets, R., Schwarz, J.M., Senapathi, D., Tamburini, G., Brown, M.J.F., Stout, J.C., Rundlöf, M. (2024):
Pesticide use negatively affects bumble bees across European landscapes
Nature 628 (8007), 355 - 358 10.1038/s41586-023-06773-3