Thursday, 28 March 2013

Forgetful Bees?

A recent study (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/mar/27/pesticide-bees-scent-food-neocotinoid?INTCMP=SRCH) has suggested that worker Honey bees (Apis mellifera) and other pollinating insects exposed to neonicotinoid pesticides are slower to learn associations between floral scents and the presence of nectar. In some cases, neurons in their brain stopped firing with 20 minutes of exposure and they became unable to learn at all. This impairment would cause the bees to be of very limited utility to their hive (their efficient foraging is crucial to its survival) and would largely negate the role of the insects in pollination.
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