http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/282/1819/20152110
"Conclusion
Overall, our results lead to two main conclusions. First, we found that
field exposure to thiamethoxam combined with concomitant imidacloprid
contamination is associated with a significant excess mortality in
free-ranging bees. This provides a strong and unprecedented link between
predictions drawn from artificial exposure experiments [9–11,40] and
evidence from real-field surveys. Second, colonies appeared to be able to
compensate for the excess mortality so as to preserve unaltered performance
in terms of population size and honey production. Instead, the most exposed
colonies modified the timing of their reproductive investment, delaying
drone brood production in favour of increased worker brood production. We
have now reconciled the conflicting laboratory and field assessments of
neonicotinoid toxicity. It is thus urgent that risk assessors take into
account the scientific evidence for behavioural disorders triggered by
trace levels of neonicotinoids."
Adam
Barrie, ON
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