More than Neonics: agrochemicals interact synergistically to increase insect declines : Interview and call to action with Dr. Harry Siviter
Sorry to say, you need to worry about more than just the neonics being used in horticulture/agriculture and silvicuture/arboriculture. As fast, actually way faster, as one pesticide's use is restricted slightly several more "novel" ones are licensed for use. Add to that the horrifying number of pesticides used on plants/soils in our industry, and those related to ours, you get a fatal stew of synergistic fatal effects for our beloved insects. This week we chat with the truly brilliant, Dr. Harry Siviter, (@harrysiviter on Twitter) who has published an astonishing number of powerful research papers so early in his career. His rigorous and extensive analyses and research has allowed him to make strong statements in top-tier scientific journals. One of his key messages: "Therefore, while our results confirm that bans on neonicotinoid use will likely benefit wild bee populations, they will only be successful if paired with (1) changes to the agrochemical regulatory process, that ensures novel insecticides do not have a similar sub-lethal effects on non-Apis bees and (2) a reduction in intensive agriculture, and a move towards an integrated pest management approach that promotes biological control, and reduced insecticide use (Colin et al., 2020; Siviter & Muth, 2020). A failure to radically change food production, and agrochemical regulation, will result in a continued decline in bee populations that we rely on for functioning eco-systems." Listen in to hear why. And if you want to read more, here are the references to just a few of his impressive papers: Siviter H, Richman SK & Muth F (2021) Field‐realistic neonicotinoid exposure has sub‐lethal effects on non‐Apis bees: A meta‐analysis. Ecology Letters, 24, 2586–2597. Siviter H, Bailes EJ, Martin CD, Oliver TR, Koricheva J, Leadbeater E & Brown MJF (2021) Agrochemicals interact synergistically to increase bee mortality. Nature, 596, 389–392. Harry Siviter, Anthony K Johnson, Felicity Muth, Bumblebees Exposed to a Neonicotinoid Pesticide Make Suboptimal Foraging Decisions, Environmental Entomology, Volume 50, Issue 6, December 2021, Pages 1299–1303. Siviter H, Muth F. (2020) Do novel insecticides pose a threat to beneficial insects? Proc. R. Soc. B 287: 20201265. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.1265 Siviter, H., Brown, M.J.F. & Leadbeater, E. Sulfoxaflor exposure reduces bumblebee reproductive success. Nature 561, 109–112 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0430-6 Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.