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An alternative to controversial pesticides still harms bumblebees

Exposure to a sulfoximine-based pesticide has substantial adverse effects on bumblebee colonies. This finding suggests that concerns over the risks of exposing bees to insecticides should not be limited to neonicotinoids.
  1. Nigel E. Raine

    1. Nigel E. Raine is at the School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada.

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Agricultural intensification has increased our reliance on pesticides, including insecticides. Although insecticides are useful for controlling crop damage caused by insect pests, they can also affect beneficial insects, potentially impairing their ability to control pests and pollinate crops1 — qualities on which farmers rely. Indeed, increases in insecticide use are one of several major factors implicated in the worldwide declines of insect pollinators2. A commonly used class of insecticide called neonicotinoids has hit the headlines because of its impacts on bees. In a paper in Nature, Siviter et al.3 report that a potential neonicotinoid replacement, the sulfoximine-based insecticide sulfoxaflor, also harms these crucial pollinators.

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Nature 561, 40-41 (2018)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-05917-0

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