Neonicotinoids – often called neonics – are a class of insecticides that are among the most widely used in agriculture. They are neuro-active, meaning that they affect the central nervous system of insects, killing or harming a wide variety of both target and non-target insects. They are often applied to seeds before planting as a prophylactic treatment for potential insect pests.
Neonics have been linked to adverse ecological effects, especially the harm they cause to bees and other pollinators. The Birds and Bees Protection Act in New York State, signed into law in 2023, is phasing out the sale, distribution, or purchase of certain neonic-treated corn, soybean, and wheat seeds over the next few years.
A multi-year, multi-state study by researchers at Cornell University investigated the ability of a variety of non-neonicotinoid insecticides to protect large-seed vegetable crops including snap beans, dry beans, and sweet corn. It is a difficult problem because insecticides kill insects, and it isn’t easy to find ones that kill pests but have minimal effects on pollinators and other beneficial insects.
The research found safer alternative insecticides with comparable effectiveness for treating snap bean seeds but not for dry beans. Much more successful was the result that five alternative seed treatments proved as effective as standard neonics for sweet corn while having far fewer negative environmental impacts. Sweet corn is a major crop in New York state, so these results could be of great importance in improving the long-term sustainability of pest management programs.
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New pesticides provide challenging alternatives to neonicotinoids
Photo, posted May 31, 2021, courtesy of Papa Piper via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio
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