“Australian honeybee populations are not in decline, despite the increased use of [neonicotinoids]…since the mid-1990s.”
March 7, 2014
Editor’s Note: The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Auhority (APVMA) has “completed a broad overview of issues relating to honeybee health in Australia, with a particular focus on the use of neonicotinoid (‘neonics’) insecticides.”
After extensive review including consultation with other leading regulatory authorities including the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Agency, the Australian government concluded that use of neonicotinoids is not harming honeybees. To the contrary, use of neonicotinoids has reduced agricultural risks. The complete APVMA report, “Overview Report – Neonicotinoids and the Health of Honeybees in Australia” is attached here.
Below is a key excerpt from the Executive Summary:
On the basis of information available to it, the APVMA is currently of the view that the introduction of the neonicotinoids has led to an overall reduction in the risks to the agricultural environment from the application of insecticides. This view is also balanced with the advice that Australian honeybee populations are not in decline, despite the increased use of this group of insecticides in agriculture and horticulture since the mid-1990s.
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