The Damaging effects that pesticide is doing to our beloved bees is sad. But, by now, we should all understand the life-changing impact that pesticides can have on the beautiful bees of our world.
Scientists say that bees will need multiple generations to recover from the lingering impact that pesticide exposure has had on them.
The University of California, Davis scientists, tracked how blue orchard bees that encountered chemical-laced nectar and pollen as larvae or adults fared over two years.
Researchers found that exposure to chemical pesticides early in life could impair reproduction during adulthood. Even worse, bees exposed to pesticides at a young age and, as adults, get it twice as hard.
They produced 44 percent fewer offspring than bees that were never exposed to the chemical pesticides.
“We have a better understanding now of the way pesticide exposure affects bee population over time,” says study co-author Clara Stuligross, a Ph.D. candidate in ecology at UC Davis. “This really shows that pesticide exposure to bees in multiple years has a greater effect than just a single exposure.”
Stuligross and her colleague Neal Williams studied the long-term impact of pesticides on blue orchard bees, a common bee in North America that pollinates crops such as almonds and cherries.
Stuligross said that in agricultural areas, pesticides are often applied multiple times a year. As a result, bees will come in contact with the chemical throughout different stages in their life.
Understanding the effects that pesticides can inflict on bees and other pollinators will help researchers plan better guidelines for how pesticides should be applied and when they should be used.
Bees, we love you all, and we will spread the word to help save you like you help spread pollen all over our beautiful world.
