Entomology Today - 4/11/16 There’s been a lot of focus and scientific study on the population reductions of honey bees and other pollinators. Some possible causes that have been cited are: Solar storms, Viruses, Diesel Fumes, Bacterial pathogens, Selenium, A fungus, Fungicides and Insecticides, especially those in the class known as neonicotinoids.
Now researchers may have found another possible cause: fertilizer. A new study from the Federal University of Vicosa in Brazil is likely the first to find that copper sulfate, when used as a leaf fertilizer, is lethal to the native Brazilian bee known as Friesella schrottkyi. In addition, the study, which was published in the Journal of Economic Entomology, found that sublethal exposure also affected the bee’s behavior. In South America, copper sulfate is a common heavy-metal fertilizer, as opposed to North America and Europe, where it is primarily used as a fungicide, even by organic farmers. Such fertilizers are used heavily in tropical and subtropical regions of South and Central America, and are a source of micronutrients for growing plants. They are used at different stages of plant development, including vegetative-reproduction and fully reproductive stages, which increases the chances of the fertilizer’s interaction with pollinators. ...
https://entomologytoday.org/2016/04/11/study-shows-leaf-fertilizers-to-be-toxic-to-stingless-bees/ |
