Due to recent changes in regulation, acetamiprid has become the only neonicotinoid that can be applied without restrictions and in open field cultivations in the EU from 2021. We provide an overview of the current knowledge on the effects of this insecticide on bumblebees and assessed whether available empirical evidence supports the claim that acetamiprid poses negligible risk to these pollinators. We found that there is limited data on the lethal and sublethal effects of this pesticide on bumblebees. While risk assessment results suggest that field-realistic concentrations of acetamiprid have minor acute and chronic toxicity, detrimental sublethal effects, including reduced reproductive output, have been observed when bumblebees were exposed to high doses of this insecticide. We propose that further research on the topic is warranted as the more extensive application of acetamiprid may lead to such high concentrations in the field.
Pesticides are one of the most important anthropogenic-related stressors. In times of global pollinator decline, the role of integrated farming and that of urban gardens in supporting wild pollinators is becoming increasingly important. We circulated an online questionnaire to survey the plant protection practices among Hungarian farmers and garden owners with a particular emphasis on pollinator protection. We found that plant growers heavily rely on pesticide use, and pesticides are widely used in otherwise pollinator-friendly gardens. Whether pesticide use practices were driven by expert opinion and the respondents' sex were the best predictors of pesticide use. Although most respondents supported pollinators, pesticides are also widely used among home garden owners, which can pose a non-evident ecological trap for pollinator populations in the gardens. Special attention should be paid to implementing measures to reduce pesticide, use not only in farmlands but also in home gardens. Environmental education and financial support through agroecological schemes could efficiently promote the transition. However, whereas farmers can be encouraged to reduce pesticide use mostly by expert advice, garden owners are likely to rely on more conventional information channels. The attitude of Hungarian plant growers can provide an insight into pesticide use practices of Central and Eastern European countries, but similar surveys are needed across Europe for a complete understanding of broad-scale processes. This work lays the foundations for similar studies which can inform and facilitate the transformation processes to pesticide-free farming and gardening.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.