Neonicotinoids Research Paper

Neonicotinoids are a widely used group of nicotine-related insecticides. Largely used in agriculture, neonicotinoids help protect and maintain crops, especially in Canada and the United States. Although still used for crops today, neonicotinoids have been thought to have significant effects on certain bug populations (Whitehorn, O’Connor, Wackers & Goulson, 2012). Considering this, it is questionable on their overall effects on the environment, and more specifically, on bees. Neonicotinoids also affect other species of bugs, but the impact on bees must be focused on as their environmental impact is the greatest. The overall impact is not only related to bees, but also towards their role in an ecosystem and how that influences our economy and
The argument is that there will be an overall economic downfall due to lower crop output as there is no use of insecticides containing neonicotinoids. Neonicotinoids are very effective in protecting crops and ensure crop outputs are high. Therefore, high crop yields help feed many people, and through banning neonicotinoids, we would also see less and less food. In addition, the agriculture industry provides many jobs for farmers, who must make get the most use out of their land to earn a living. Although this point is crucial in ensuring the stability and longevity of the economy in terms of crop productivity, I think that in the long-run, maintaining a stable population of bees is a more reliable method. Crop production due to insecticides only ensures crops will be productive in the short-term. I think that for long-term stability, sustainability within agriculture is through maintaining healthy bee populations. Although we rely on agriculture for many varieties of food, we cannot maintain the use of insecticides for long periods of time. For example, if bees theoretically no longer existed, nobody would have to worry about crop yield as we would have not much agriculture left to maintain. If we began to allocate more money into artificial ways of pollination, that is extra money and resources going towards new technology that we can avoid creating. Instead, money and resources
Has it been proven? How can we say that they have an impact on bees? What if bee population decrease is based on other factors such as pests, and climate change? This argument is also present when the use of neonicotinoids leaves the large-scale use in agriculture fields and goes into the homeowner’s backyard. Why shouldn’t people in urban areas use neonicotinoids if it’s on a smaller scale? Although all very valid arguments and questions, as more research is being allocated towards neonicotinoids, it is evident that there are environmental issues as a result from the use of this insecticide. To investigate the issue of decreasing bee populations, it is important to acknowledge colony collapse disorder (CCD). Based on a study done CCD is linked to bee population decline (Whitehorn et al., 2012). Neonicotinoids have been shown to lower the weight of bees, which would indicate less worker bees and less foraging altogether. Additionally, it has been shown that imidacloprid lowers the overall amount of queen bees (Whitehorn et al., 2012). I think when these two factors are combined, they cause a net decrease in bee populations. It can be argued that the use of neonicotinoids is not directly lethal to the bees, it is important to acknowledge that they contribute to certain factors that result in a net decline of bee populations. It is thought bees are more susceptible to neonicotinoids as