Two pesticides approved for use in US harmful to bees

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin reviewed nineteen studies from the last five years on sulfoxaflor (Transform WG) and flupyradifurone (Sivanto). They found that the insecticides have harmful effects on pollinators including impaired health and increased mortality. While flupyradifurone has no pollinator related restrictions, sulfoxaflor was banned on crops that attract bees in 2016. In 2019, the ban was removed, and restrictions were kept only on application during bloom for crops that might attract bees. To protect the survival and efficiency of pollinator populations, scientists suggest that sub lethal effects– such as impaired reproduction, navigation and direction, should be considered in the regulatory process. Read more here.