Bee Line

The UK government is considering banning neonicotinoid insecticides. These chemicals have been shown to seriously endanger important insect pollinators such as Honey bees. Even non-fatal doses impair the bee's neural functions, making foraging for nectar impossible. It's likely that Clothianida, Imidacloprid and Thiamethoxam will be completely banned. Until now, they have been repeatedly allowed for farming 'emergencies'. The highly potent neonicotinoid Cruiser SB may, however, continue to be allowed. Certainly, the National Farmer's Union and British Sugar are pushing for this. They claim neonicotinoids are needed to deal with insect-mediated transmissions of viral Sugar beet infections (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/21/uk-ban-bee-killing-pesticides-highly-toxic-neonicotinoid-could-be-allowed). This appears to be limited progress but tiny quantities of neonicotinoids can kill thousands of Honey bees and other pollinators. Those insects are needed for other crops such as fruits.