Researchers from China’s top science academy have published
research claiming that the use of imidacloprid – a widely-used neonicotinoid
insecticide – is damaging the health of Asian honey bees. The study’s findings
could deal a severe blow to the imidacloprid industry in China and elsewhere in
Asia, according to analysts CCM.
The research, undertaken by scientists at Xishuangbanna Tropical
Botanical Garden (XTBG), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), was published on
June 23 and is the first ever study of the effect of neonicotinoid insecticides
on Asian honey bees (Apis cerana).
XTBG’s study found that exposure to imidacloprid can do
serious damage to Asian bees’ olfactory learning ability, the faculty bees use
to distinguish floral scents and find nectar.
According to the study:
·
Adult bees
exposed even to doses of imidacloprid considered ‘safe’ suffered long-term
learning impairments
·
Adult bees fed
imidacloprid as larvae had inferior short-term learning compared to bees that
had not been exposed to the insecticide
Apis
cerana are common across South and South East Asia and play an
important role in the regions’ agriculture, so CCM believes that the study
could have far-reaching effects for Asia’s insecticides market.
The EU restricted the use of imidacloprid and two other
neonicotinoid insecticides in December 2013 following the publication of
research demonstrating similar effects on European bees.
And Wang Jianwo, Secretary General of the Hunan Pesticide
Industry Association, has confessed to CCM that he is worried about China and
other Asian countries following the policies of the EU and implementing similar
restrictions.
Imidacloprid is a major industry in China, where over
28,000t/a of imidacloprid TC production capacity is located, so many Chinese
manufacturers could be affected by any policy change.
Only a third of China’s output is for domestic use, meaning
that a Chinese ban would not be too devastating a blow.
However, Vietnam, Pakistan and India are major export
destinations for Chinese imidacloprid, all of which have large Apis cerana populations, so
manufacturers are also vulnerable to policy moves in other countries.
Many Chinese manufacturers are already facing financial
difficulties, so any impact on sales will be very costly. On the one hand,
imidacloprid prices have fallen significantly over the past year thanks in
large part to the EU restrictions, while producers are also facing rising costs
as a result of new waste treatment regulations.
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