Pesticides

For pollinators, exposure to pesticides can happen in numerous ways. Use Penn State Extension’s resources and learn about pesticides and bees, how you can reduce their exposure with the use of bee-friendly pesticides, and how pesticides affect pollinators overall.

Pollinators and Pesticides: Protecting the Bees

Pesticides have a vital role to play in controlling weeds, diseases, and insects on farms and in urban landscapes. However, pollinators often share areas treated for pests, and we must understand how best to protect them. Insects are the most common and abundant pollinators, and of them, the honey bee is the one we rely on most for commercial pollination.

Pollinator populations in Pennsylvania are experiencing many different challenges, one of which is the use of pesticides. Even if you take an integrated pest management approach, there are cases when pesticides are the only option for pest control. Fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides are all pesticides, but the latter is the most toxic to pollinators.

Penn State Extension is very involved in the research surrounding the toxicity of different pesticides and how they affect pollinators. Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center has been measuring the movement of most registered neonicotinoid insecticides into the pollen and nectar of apple sprays. And the Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State University has been looking at the role the greenhouse industry can play in protecting pollinators.

The Pennsylvania Pollinator Protection Plan (P4) regularly assesses pollinators’ status in the state. It provides recommendations for best practices, including pesticide use, and resources to support and expand pollinator populations.

Pollinators and Integrated Pest Management

One pollinator that has suffered significant declines over the last 40 years is the domestic honey bee. Researchers believe that the reasons for its decline are complex. Pesticides are an obvious suspect, but poor nutrition, parasites, pathogens, and low-quality genetic stock are also thought to be affecting pollinator populations.

Growers of orchard fruits are dependent on the honey bee. Since 2006 there have been additional dramatic die-offs of tens of thousands of bees. This phenomenon became known as Colony Collapse Disorder.

The use of an integrated pest management system has a positive effect on pollinator numbers. When used in combination with biological controls in greenhouses, it can reduce pesticide usage and maximize yields. Biological controls include beneficial insects such as lady beetles, praying mantises, parasitic wasps, and ground beetles.