Direct pesticide exposure of insects in nature conservation areas in Germany

Abstract

In Germany, the decline of insect biomass was observed in nature conservation areas in agricultural landscapes. One of the main causal factors discussed is the use of synthetic pesticides in conventional agriculture. In a Germany-wide field study, we collected flying insects using Malaise traps in nature conservation areas adjacent to agricultural land. We used a multi-component chemical trace element analysis to detect 92 common agricultural pesticides in ethanol from insect traps sampled in May and August 2020. In total, residues of 47 current use pesticides were detected, and insect samples were on average contaminated with 16.7 pesticides. Residues of the herbicides metolachlor-S, prosulfocarb and terbuthylazine, and the fungicides azoxystrobin and fluopyram were recorded at all sites. The neonicotinoid thiacloprid was detected in 16 of 21 nature conservation areas, most likely due to final use before an EU-wide ban. A change in residue mixture composition was noticeable due to higher herbicide use in spring and increasing fungicide applications in summer. The number of substances of recorded residues is related to the proportion of agricultural production area in a radius of 2000 m. Therefore, a drastic pesticide reduction in large buffers around nature conservation areas is necessary to avoid contamination of their insect fauna.

Do pesticide and pathogen interactions drive wild bee declines?

“…Only then can we use this knowledge to design more relevant experiments in terms of involved pesticides, pathogens, and bee species, and also move towards a more predictive science and modelling of interactive effects in different environmental contexts (e.g., Topping et al, 2021 ). Thus, there is an urgent need for additional long-term data on the likelihood of pesticide and pathogen exposure of wild bee communities in the field, as well as data revealing direct causality between such exposure and the loss of wild bee abundance and richness ( Brühl et al, 2021 ; Rundlöf et al, 2015 ).…”

Pesticide Use and Associated Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Sugar Beet, Apples, and Viticulture in Austria from 2000 to 2019

“…Comparing the carbon footprint of mechanical and chemical weed control is beyond the scope of this study and therefore an opportunity for future research. However, energy consumption is somewhat higher for some crops such as potatoes or winter wheat [50]. A life cycle assessment concludes that GHG emissions for mechanical weed control are slightly higher than chemical weeding [51].…”

SAD but True: Species Awareness Disparity in Bees Is a Result of Bee-Less Biology Lessons in Germany

“…All these activities and actions can broaden an individual's view of the diversity of bees in everyday life. As environmental citizens, they will not only follow ongoing research on insect decline due to drastic pesticide exposure and understand that urgent action is required [83] but will actively engage in the conservation of wild bee and insect biodiversity which play a crucial role in ecosystem stability.…”