Science AMA Series: Hi Reddit! I’m Richard Pywell, Professor at the
Centre for Ecology & Hydrology in the UK and I’ve just completed the
largest field experiment ever to assess the impacts of neonicotinoids on
the honeybee and two wild bee species. AMA!
Abstract
Neonicotinoids are a group of pesticides that can be applied as seed
coatings and are designed to protect crops such as oilseed rape (also
known as canola), but were banned by the EU in 2013 due to concerns
regarding their impact on bee health. The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency has issued a registration review for four neonicotinoids which is
expected to be completed in 2018. We allowed bees to forage on winter
oilseed rape crops treated with neonicotinoids seed coatings on farms in
the UK, Germany and Hungary over an area equivalent to 3,000 full-sized
soccer pitches. You can read the peer-reviewed paper as published in
Science here. http://science.sciencemag.org/content/356/6345/1393 I am
on the Sense about Science Plant Science Panel, where anyone can ask a
question and get an answer from a scientist. The Panel is made up of
over 50 independent plant science researchers. You can ask questions to
them on Twitter (@senseaboutsci #plantsci) or Facebook. Answers are
sent back within a couple of days and posted online. The Panel has
answered over 400 questions during the last five years and it’s a great
way to cut through the noise around what can sometimes be a really
polarised debate. I will be back at 12 pm EDT (5 pm GMT, 9 am PST) to
answer all your questions.