ABOVE: Honey bee (Apis mellifera) approaching flower
SERENA MAGAGNOLI
A pesticide used to control aphids and whiteflies called flupyradifurone, sold commercially as Sivanto, harms or even kills honey bees (Apis mellifera) when exposed to low doses in combination with a fungicide, according to the results of laboratory experiments published on April 10 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The researchers find that when honey bees encounter both FPF and a commonly used fungicide, propiconazole (PRO), the effects are worse than FPF alone.
“We demonstrate for the first time that the combination of two chemicals can cause synergistic effects on behavior of pollinators,” says coauthor Simone Tosi of the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety.
Bayer, the producer of FPF, says that the compound is safe for bees. Its website states that FPF “targets key damaging pests while helping safeguard beneficial insects.” While that may be ...
