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I’m very skeptical about this. Last I’ve heard, CCD is caused by a combination of factors, and to blindly point a finger at one source without references just ticks my bullshit meter. Anyone got science to back this up?
I checked out this page on the Ontario Beekeeper’s Association website, and found a couple of recent papers on the subject (though, granted, they are against the use of neonicotinoid, so it might be a one-sided story). The general consensus seems to be (bee?) that sublethal doses of neonicotinoids cause changes in behavior and physiology which leads to colony collapse – immune suppression to make them more susceptible to disease, negative change in foraging behavior, abandonment of poisoned hives, etc – so, yes, it seems that it is a combination of factors, which are aggravated by pesticide poisoning.
Richard J Gill, Nigel E. Raine. Chronic impairment of bumblebee natural foraging behavious induced by sublethal pesticide exposure. Functional Ecology, British Ecological Society July 7, 2014Â
Chensheng Lu, Kenneth M. Warchol, Richard A. Callahan Sublethal exposure to neonicotinoids impaired honey bees winterization before proceeding to colony collapse disorder. Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health. Bulletin of Insectology 2014
Dave Goulson An overview of the environmental risks posed by neonicotinoid pesticides. Journal of Applied Ecology 2013
Jeroen P VanderSluijs, Noa Simon-Delso, Dave Goulson, Laura Maxim, Jean-MarcBonmatin, Luc P. Belzunes Neonicotinoids, bee disorders and the sustainability of pollinator services Current Opinion Environmental Sustainability 2013
Rosemary Mason, Henk Tennekes, Francisco Sanchez-Bayo Immune Suppression by Neonicotinoid Insecticides at the Root of Global Wildlife Declines. Journal of Environmental Immunology. 2013
Important topic. Nice background research. Excellent punmanship.