Bees are getting more attracted towards nectar from plants that have been treated with pesticide.
The new study has revealed that bees are feeding on nectar from plants treated with pesticide. If the bees are exposed to high levels of pesticide, it is very dangerous for then as it contains high levels of toxic.
The researchers are from the Newcastle University and Trinity College in Dublin.
The study was supported by the Insect Pollinators Initiative, in collaboration with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Defra, the Natural Environment Research Council, Welcome Trust, the Scottish Government, being also funded by the Irish Research Council, National Science Foundation and Science Foundation Ireland.
It was believed that honeybees and bumblebees couldn’t taste neonicotinoid based pesticide from the nectar as they could not differentiate between the plant with pesticide and without pesticide, but the study revealed that they were not avoiding the food treated with pesticide but they were more attracted towards it.
They also found that bumblebees are more inclined towards the plant treated with pesticide than honeybees.
Professor Geraldine Wright, lead author of the study said that the pesticide ingested by the bees is tasteless but it is having poisoning effect.
Bees play a crucial role in crop production as they help in pollinating plants. They have been estimated at € 153 billion worldwide.
In 2013, a ban was introduced on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on crops, to allow researchers to carry out studies and establish how harmful the substance is.
The study has also revealed why bees prefer plants treated with pesticide over untreated plants.
The researchers said that neonicotinoids have the same effect as nicotine has on humans. It could affect bee’s brain and can create an addiction for the substance.
This could have a negative impact on the bee population, as long as they choose nectar from the plants treated with pesticide because it is very dangerous for bees.
There is no scientific proof of bees getting addicted to neonicotinoid, so it remains a hypothesis until further studies prove it to be true.
There is already a decline in bee population. The bees from USA and Europe die at a faster rate for number of reasons; the most important factor among all is usage of pesticide.