In it Little presents a photo of a field trial of crops treated with neonicotinoids beside crops au natural.
In this situation, the perfect experiment would be to find and follow the fates of hundreds of natural bumblebee nests in landscapes with crops treated with neonicotinoids, and hundreds of control nests in an identical landscape without neonicotinoids.
The bees were exposed to a habitat that included a field of untreated crop at one site (C = Control) or to a field of crop treated with thiamethoxam at the other (T = Treated).
Ideally, data are available on the land area and crops treated; the timing and method of applications; rates and number of application; the formulation applied and the total volume applied per hectare.
Annual percent of crop treated (average & maximum) for each agricultural crop.
Runoff from crops treated with glyphosate can end up in drinking water supplies.
Corn is far from the only crop treated by neonicotinoids, but it is the largest use of arable land in North America, and honey bees rely on corn as a major protein source.
For each section that intersected the residence buffer, we divided the amount of the pesticide applied to each crop during the time period of interest by the total area of the crop treated with the pesticide in the section.
California's Department of Pesticide Regulation maintains a pesticide use reporting (PUR) database that includes detailed information on all agricultural pesticide applications in the state, including the active ingredient, application method, quantity applied, acres treated, crop treated, and location (in square mile sections).
We used the following CPUR data from 2000 through 2006 to estimate the use of agricultural pesticides around the home: pounds of active ingredient applied, crop treated, acres treated, and application date and location.
