neonicotinoid

The American butterfly census

April 15, 2025 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

There has been a great deal of interest in the plight of monarch butterflies in this country. Monarchs’ population and migratory habits are closely watched, and many people have been planting milkweed in their gardens to help their caterpillars. But other butterfly species have received much less attention despite the fact that many butterfly populations are in decline.

A groundbreaking new study has provided comprehensive answers about the status of butterflies in America. Over the past 20 years, the contiguous US has lost 22 percent of its butterflies.

The study is based on over 12 million individual butteries counted in 77,000 surveys across 35 monitoring programs from 2000 to 2020. Three hundred forty-two butterfly species in total were analyzed. Thirty three percent showed statistically significant declines while less than 3% displayed statistically significant increases. Overall, 13 times as many species decreased as increased.

Why are butterfly populations crashing? Experts point to a combination of factors: habitat loss as land in converted for agriculture or development, climate change, and pesticide use. It is not clear which factor is most important and may well vary by location. Pesticide use – especially neonicotinoids – has been shown to play a particularly lethal role in studies.

Insects including butterflies play a huge role in supporting life on earth. They pollinate plants, feed birds and many other creatures in the food web. Nature collapses without them. And butterflies are clearly in trouble.

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See How Butterflies Are Surviving, or Not, Near You

Photo, posted August 9, 2016, courtesy of Rachel Larue/Arlington National Cemetery via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Banning Neonicotinoid Pesticides | Earth Wise

October 19, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

New York’s Birds and Bees Protection Act contains a targeted restriction on neonicotinoid pesticides. These widely-used insecticides are absorbed by plants and can be present in pollen and nectar, making them toxic to bees and other pollinators.

Among the largest applications of neonics (as they are called) has been in the form of coatings on crop seeds, such as corn and soybeans. In 2019, Canada’s Quebec province strongly limited neonic use to protect pollinators and the environment. The chemical industry vigorously protested the regulations and claimed that the restrictions would cause the collapse of the grain sector in Quebec.

Seed suppliers began supplying uncoated seeds in 2019 and now there is scarcely any use of coated seeds in the province. Monitoring of over 1,000 agricultural sites has shown that there have been no crop failures related to the pesticide restrictions. In fact, use of the neonics had no economic benefits.

Naysayers warned that even more harmful pesticides or other farming practices would be used instead. But that hasn’t happened either. Some farmers switched to much safer insecticides and others abandoned insecticide treatments altogether.

New York has faced similar opposition by farmers and chemical manufacturers to the Birds and Bees Protection Act and all of the same arguments that have been proven to be invalid in Quebec are being made in New York. Most major environmental advocates in the state support the measures embodied in the legislation. As usual, it boils down to a battle between economic interests and the health of the environment.

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Québec’s experience with pesticide ban offers a glimpse of what New York can expect

Photo, posted August 29, 2013, courtesy of the United Soybean Board / the Soybean Checkoff via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Neonics And Honey

November 16, 2017 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The use of neonicotinoid pesticides or neonics has long been suspected as harmful to bees and a major factor in the widespread decline of honeybee and wild bee populations. A study published in Science last June provided strong evidence that neonics are indeed a real problem for bees.

[Read more…] about Neonics And Honey

What Is Killing Bees?

July 25, 2016 By WAMC WEB

The declining populations of bees and other pollinators has been a topic of great concern for a number of years. There has not been general agreement on the root cause and, in fact, it appears as though there are multiple causes at play.

Carbon Dioxide And Bees

June 21, 2016 By WAMC WEB

The decline of bee populations worldwide is a serious problem that threatens much of agriculture. From 2006 to 2011, losses in managed honeybee colonies in the U.S. averaged 33 percent a year. In recent years, beekeepers have had to replace 50 percent of their colonies each year.