# Harvard study: Colony collapse disorder most likely caused by neonicotinoid insecticides. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 10, 2014, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-study-colony-collapse-disorder-most-likely-caused-by-neonicotinoid-insecticides/688109 "2014-05-10T03:57:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-study-colony-collapse-disorder-most-likely-caused-by-neonicotinoid-insecticides/688109/1 "2014-05-10T03:57:03Z")
> **[Honeybees abandoning hives and dying due to insecticide use, research finds](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/may/09/honeybees-dying-insecticide-harvard-study)** > > Harvard study shows neonicotionoids are devastating colonies by triggerring colony collapse disorder > [@](#): > > “We demonstrated that neonicotinoids are highly likely to be responsible for triggering ‘colony collapse disorder’ in honeybee hives that were healthy prior to the arrival of winter,” said Chensheng Lu, an expert on environmental exposure biology at Harvard School of Public Health and who led the work. > … > “Bees from six of the 12 neonicotinoid-treated colonies had abandoned their hives and were eventually dead with symptoms resembling CCD,” the team wrote. “However, we observed a complete opposite phenomenon in the control colonies.” Only one control colony was lost, the result of infection by the parasitic fungus Nosema and in this case the dead bees remained in the hive. > … > “It is striking and perplexing to observe the empty neonicotinoid-treated colonies because honey bees normally do not abandon their hives during the winter,” the scientists wrote. “This observation may suggest the impairment of honey bee neurological functions, specifically memory, cognition, or behaviour, as the results from the chronic sub-lethal neonicotinoid exposure.” Earlier research showed neonicotinoid exposure can damage the renowned ability of bees to navigate home. Here’s a PDF of the article from the _Bulletin of Insectology._ [http://www.bulletinofinsectology.org/pdfarticles/vol67-2014-125-130lu.pdf](http://www.bulletinofinsectology.org/pdfarticles/vol67-2014-125-130lu.pdf) I’m wondering what the response of the pesticide industry will be. Will they act responsibly or are they preparing their talking points as I type? ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-study-colony-collapse-disorder-most-likely-caused-by-neonicotinoid-insecticides/688109/2 "2014-05-10T08:10:09Z")
Insecticide that kills insects. Whatever next? ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-study-colony-collapse-disorder-most-likely-caused-by-neonicotinoid-insecticides/688109/3 "2014-05-10T08:50:37Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > [Honeybees abandoning hives and dying due to insecticide use, research finds | Bees | The Guardian](http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/may/09/honeybees-dying-insecticide-harvard-study) > > Here’s a PDF of the article from the _Bulletin of Insectology._ > [http://www.bulletinofinsectology.org/pdfarticles/vol67-2014-125-130lu.pdf](http://www.bulletinofinsectology.org/pdfarticles/vol67-2014-125-130lu.pdf) > > I’m wondering what the response of the pesticide industry will be. Will they act responsibly or are they preparing their talking points as I type? Their response will be to continue selling their products right up until the day they are forced to stop via court order, and even then some product will continue make it’s way across the counter illegally. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-study-colony-collapse-disorder-most-likely-caused-by-neonicotinoid-insecticides/688109/4 "2014-05-10T09:05:46Z")
Don’t know a whole lot about bees or farming, but if farmers are the primary users of these pesticides (are they?), wouldn’t they want to avoid killing the bees that provide much of their pollination? (don’t they?) ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-study-colony-collapse-disorder-most-likely-caused-by-neonicotinoid-insecticides/688109/5 "2014-05-10T09:27:09Z")
Companies like Monsanto and DuPont sell seed in bulk to farmers. Stuff like corn is grown from purchased seed every season. Orchard owners on the other hand would be very concerned I would imagine. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-study-colony-collapse-disorder-most-likely-caused-by-neonicotinoid-insecticides/688109/6 "2014-05-10T14:47:38Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Companies like Monsanto and DuPont sell seed in bulk to farmers. Stuff like corn is grown from purchased seed every season. > Orchard owners on the other hand would be very concerned I would imagine. That purchased seed is grown by someone somewhere and it results from pollination. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-study-colony-collapse-disorder-most-likely-caused-by-neonicotinoid-insecticides/688109/7 "2014-05-10T14:56:13Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > That purchased seed is grown by someone somewhere and it results from pollination. I should add that, if I’m not mistaken, the corn plants need to be pollinated before they’ll actually produce ears of corn. The same goes for other fruiting crops (as opposed to root or leaf crops). ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-study-colony-collapse-disorder-most-likely-caused-by-neonicotinoid-insecticides/688109/8 "2014-05-10T15:20:17Z")
to complicate matters. seed production might be done in areas that aren’t near the crop production areas. individual interests in the short term may be contrary to protecting the commons in the long term. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-study-colony-collapse-disorder-most-likely-caused-by-neonicotinoid-insecticides/688109/9 "2014-05-10T15:49:47Z")
Which is why protecting the commons is a legitimate function of government. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-study-colony-collapse-disorder-most-likely-caused-by-neonicotinoid-insecticides/688109/10 "2014-05-10T17:23:17Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I should add that, if I’m not mistaken, the corn plants need to be pollinated before they’ll actually produce ears of corn. The same goes for other fruiting crops (as opposed to root or leaf crops). Corn is wind pollinated. This is interesting, and, like other posters, I’d expect nothing to change until it’s mandated. Sad. I know a few apiarists, who are doing their best to spread the word about the importance of insect pollinators. People often don’t realize the differences between wild native bees and domestic honeybees. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-study-colony-collapse-disorder-most-likely-caused-by-neonicotinoid-insecticides/688109/11 "2014-05-10T22:10:44Z")
According to [this Tumblr post](http://spankzilla85.tumblr.com/post/81939957349/danteogodofsoup-golgathor-cokekitty-this) (haven’t really bothered to follow the links — apologies in advance), the manufacturers are suing the EU for the right to continue using these pesticides. So bye bye bees. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MoodIndigo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@MoodIndigo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoodIndigo1)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-study-colony-collapse-disorder-most-likely-caused-by-neonicotinoid-insecticides/688109/12 "2014-05-10T22:34:10Z")
This is old new, the Harvard study is just confirming it. Until we first heard of the impact of neonicotinoids on bee colonies, we stopped using it in our garden. It hasn’t been used for at least 3, maybe 4 years here. The good news is that when I weeded my herb garden today, I saw a bee in a nearby flower that had seeded itself among the herbs. Needless to say, I didn’t ‘‘weed’’ that one! As **Leape** r’s link points out, Bayer is the biggest producer. I think they should be judged for their crimes and ordered to repair the situation as much as they can. It’s going to be tough to rebuild the bee population. Meanwhile, I wonder how much impact a boycott of Bayer could have. They are the world’s foremost producers of imidacloprid, the most widely used pesticide in the world. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-study-colony-collapse-disorder-most-likely-caused-by-neonicotinoid-insecticides/688109/13 "2014-05-10T22:34:18Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > According to [this Tumblr post](http://spankzilla85.tumblr.com/post/81939957349/danteogodofsoup-golgathor-cokekitty-this) (haven’t really bothered to follow the links — apologies in advance), the manufacturers are suing the EU for the right to continue using these pesticides. > > So bye bye bees. 🙂 I followed the links, and it looks like this lawsuit is from 2013. I’ll try and find out what happened. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-study-colony-collapse-disorder-most-likely-caused-by-neonicotinoid-insecticides/688109/14 "2014-05-10T23:25:37Z")
Interesting. At the time of the [Staff Report](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2823/why-are-the-bees-disappearing), the science seemed to be settling on a [virus-fungus](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/science/07bees.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=bee%20collapse&st=cse) interaction. It may be time to update the Report. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2014, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harvard-study-colony-collapse-disorder-most-likely-caused-by-neonicotinoid-insecticides/688109/15 "2014-05-11T00:23:07Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Don’t know a whole lot about bees or farming, but if farmers are the primary users of these pesticides (are they?), wouldn’t they want to avoid killing the bees that provide much of their pollination? (don’t they?) I can only guess that the farmers that benefit from pesticides aren’t the same ones that require bee pollination. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be suicidal? (I am not an expert on agriculture, but I once raised bees.)