Neonicotinoid residues in UK honey despite European Union moratorium

Due to concerns over negative impacts on insect pollinators, the European Union has implemented a moratorium on the use of three neonicotinoid pesticide seed dressings for mass-flowering crops. We assessed the effectiveness of this policy in reducing the exposure risk to honeybees by collecting 130...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2018-01, Vol.13 (1), p.e0189681
Main Authors: Woodcock, Ben A, Ridding, Lucy, Freeman, Stephen N, Pereira, M Gloria, Sleep, Darren, Redhead, John, Aston, David, Carreck, Norman L, Shore, Richard F, Bullock, James M, Heard, Matthew S, Pywell, Richard F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Apis mellifera
Bees
Biology and Life Sciences
Cereals
Chronic exposure
Crop residues
Crops
Crops, Agricultural
Dressings
Ecology
Ecology and Environmental Sciences
European honeybee
European Union
Exposure
Flowering
Health risks
Honey
Honey - analysis
Hydrology
Insecticides
Insects
Medicine and Health Sciences
Moratoriums
Neonicotinoids - analysis
Oilseeds
Pesticide Residues - analysis
Pesticides
Plant nectar
Pollinators
Rape plants
Rapeseed
Residues
Risk
Risk factors
Sediment pollution
Seed treatments
Seeds
Soil contamination
Soil pollution
United Kingdom
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Due to concerns over negative impacts on insect pollinators, the European Union has implemented a moratorium on the use of three neonicotinoid pesticide seed dressings for mass-flowering crops. We assessed the effectiveness of this policy in reducing the exposure risk to honeybees by collecting 130 samples of honey from bee keepers across the UK before (2014: N = 21) and after the moratorium was in effect (2015: N = 109). Neonicotinoids were present in about half of the honey samples taken before the moratorium, and they were present in over a fifth of honey samples following the moratorium. Clothianidin was the most frequently detected neonicotinoid. Neonicotinoid concentrations declined from May to September in the year following the ban. However, the majority of post-moratorium neonicotinoid residues were from honey harvested early in the year, coinciding with oilseed rape flowering. Neonicotinoid concentrations were correlated with the area of oilseed rape surrounding the hive location. These results suggest mass flowering crops may contain neonicotinoid residues where they have been grown on soils contaminated by previously seed treated crops. This may include winter seed treatments applied to cereals that are currently exempt from EU restrictions. Although concentrations of neonicotinoids were low (
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0189681