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Update on Neonics, Bees and Best Management
Practices for Protecting Pollinators and Beneficial
Insects On Ornamental Plants
Dave Smitley, October 24, 2016
Michigan State University
Which Insecticide Products are Neonicotinoids?
Technically, according The IRAC mode of action classification
system, it is all insecticides in the 4A category. This includes :
acetamaprid (Tristar), but Tristar is not toxic to bees
dinotefuran (Safari, Dinotefuran, Sagacity),
thiomethoxam (Flagship)
chlothianidin (Arena)
imidacloprid (Marathon, Benefit, Discus,
Imigold, Bounty, and others usually with
imidacloprid in the product name).
How Neonicotinoids and Bees Became a Crisis
for Greenhouse and Nursery Growers
Start: June 20, 2013
• 25,000 dead bumble bees and
honey bees found in the parking
lot of the Wilsonville Target Store
• Linden trees in full bloom had
been sprayed with Safari
(dinotefuran) at sunrise before
bees were present.
As a result, now in 2016:
• Safari cannot be used
on Tilia
• Most imidacloprid
products cannot be
used on Tilia
February 7, 2014
Join One of these Five Home Depot ‘Swarms’ to Help Save the
Bees! Organic Consumers Association
For related articles and more information, please visit OCA's Honey Bee Health
page and our Millions Against Monsanto page.
If you live in Eugene, Ore., the Bay Area (Calif.), Minneapolis, Minn., Washington
D.C., or Chicago, Ill., you’re in luck. You can join activists from the OCA and other
bee-friendly groups to help deliver valentines to local Home Depot store managers
with this message: “Give Bees Some Love! Stop Selling Bee-Killing Plants!”
You can download your valentine, and add your own personal message. We even
have leaflets you can print and hand out.
June 2014
Gardeners Beware 2014:
Bee-Toxic Pesticides Found in
“Bee-Friendly” Plants Sold at Garden
Centers Across the U.S. and Canada
©Copyright June 2014 by Friends of the Earth
Report Summary (of a 60 page report):
• Plants were purchased from retail nurseries, including Home Depot, Lowe's,
Walmart, and Orchard Supply Hardware in 18 cities across the U.S., as well
as three provinces in Canada.
• They then sent the plants off to a laboratory to measure the presence and
concentration of pesticides in the greenery.
• Testing showed that 51 percent of store-bought plants had levels of a group
of harmful pesticides known as neonicotinoids that were high enough to kill
honey bees, bumble bees, and other pollinators "outright."
Gardeners Beware Report
Oral LD50
 180 ppb, acute
 50 ppb, chronic
Neonics and Bees: News Since the
Last Kanuga Conference in October 2014
5450569
April 2015
Bee declines driven by combined stress from
parasites, pesticides, and lack of flowers
Dave Goulson,* Elizabeth Nicholls, Cristina Botías, Ellen L. Rotheray
Over 170 scientific papers are cited.
April 2015
Seed coating with a neonicotinoid insecticide negatively
affects wild bees in Sweden
Maj Rundlo¨f1, Georg K. S. Andersson1,2, Riccardo Bommarco3, Ingemar Fries3,
Veronica Hederstro¨m1, Lina Herbertsson2, Ove Jonsson4,5, Bjo¨rn K. Klatt2,
Thorsten R. Pedersen6, Johanna Yourstone1 & Henrik G. Smith1,2
Conclusions:
• Clothianidin seed coating in oil seed rape (canola), has
negative effects on wild bees.
• Bumble bees are more sensitive than honey bees.
May 2015
USA NATIONAL STRATEGY TO PROMOTE THE HEALTH OF
HONEY BEES AND OTHER POLLINATORS (60 pp)
Pollinator Health Task Force, MAY 19, 2015
• Honey Bees: Reduce honey bee colony losses during winter
(overwintering mortality) to no more than 15% within 10 years.
• Monarch Butterflies: Increase the Eastern population of the
monarch butterfly to 225 million butterflies occupying an area of
approximately 15 acres (6 hectares) in the overwintering grounds in
Mexico, through domestic/international actions and public-private
partnerships, by 2020.
• Pollinator Habitat Acreage: Restore or enhance 7 million acres of
land for pollinators over the next 5 years through Federal actions
and public/private partnerships.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/Pollinator%20
Health%20Strategy%202015.pdf
** Note: Some have criticized the report for the lack of discussion
about the role of pesticides in causing bee decline.
June - November 2015
Recent Developments on Neonics and Bees
• One County in Maryland banned use of neonics (several cities
around the country have done so already, like Boulder,
Colorado)
• Lowe’s to phase-out neonics by 2019
• Home Depot to phase-out neonics by 2018
• Home Depot survey: 64% of greenhouse and nursery growers
not planning to use neonics in 2016
First National Conference
on Protecting Pollinators
in Ornamental Landscapes
Held October 12-14, 2015
Kanuga, North Carolina
• 185 people attended, mostly educators and some
researchers
• 22 speakers from 11 universities and 3 countries
• Keynote speaker: Dave Goulson, UK
• 80% of attendees plan to come again in 2017
• Next conference will be in Michigan (October 2017), and
it will include state reports on pollinator protection
programs, and a session on butterflies.
Presentations at the Kanuga
Pollinator Conference Were
Used to Address This Issue:
How to Protect Pollinators
AND Manage Exotic Pests
Cornell University
fyi.uwex.edu
royalalbertamuseum.ca
New online publication for the North Central United States
Protecting and enhancing pollinators
in urban landscapes
for the US North Central Region
by David Smitley, Diane Brown, Erwin Elsner, Joy Landis - Michigan State
Univ.;
Paula M. Shrewsbury – Univ. of Maryland; Daniel A. Herms - The Ohio State
Univ.
Available on the Internet at: bit.ly/IPMpollinators
Which flowers, shrubs and trees we select and how we care for them can
make a difference in supporting bees and butterflies. This document is for
landscapers and gardeners who want to attract pollinators and protect
them during pest management tactics or pesticide applications.
This colorful 30-page PDF resource includes:
• Plants, shrubs, trees known to create better pollinator habitat.
• How to select plants to provide flowers throughout the season.
• Problem-prone plants you may want to avoid.
• Best Management Practices to protect pollinators and
other beneficial insects during pest management.
Which Annuals And Perennials Are Good For Pollinators?
If you are a grower looking for information on producing plants that are safe
for pollinators, or which plant types can be
marketed as good food sources for bees,
the new publication “Protecting
and Enhancing Pollinators in
Urban Landscapes”
provides a good
resource.
GREENHOUSE GROWER
Magazine October
2016
Which Annuals And Perennials
Published 16 Aug 2016
Impacts of neonicotinoid use on long-term population changes in
wild bees in England
Ben A. Woodcock, Nicholas J.B. Isaac1, James M. Bullock, David B. Roy, David G. Garthwaite, Andrew
Crowe & Richard F. Pywell
We find evidence of increased population extinction rates in
response to neonicotinoid seed treatment use on oilseed rape.
Species foraging on oilseed rape benefit from the cover of this
crop, but were on average three times more negatively affected by
exposure to neonicotinoids than non-crop foragers.
Gardeners Beware 2016: Bee-toxic Pesticides Found
in “Bee-friendly” Plants Sold at Garden Centers
Across the U.S.
Comparison of 2016 results to 2013
and 2014 results indicates that
progress is being made towards
reducing the use of neonicotinoids in
ornamental plants; only 23 percent of
plants were found to contain
neonicotinoids in 2016, compared
with slightly more than 50 percent in
2013 and 2014.
New SCRI Grant Started September 2016:
Entomologists research protecting pollinators with
environmentally sound ornamental horticulture
David Smitley and Zachary Huang at MSU are joining a team of researchers led by Dr.
Cristi Palmer at Rutgers University in a $2.8 million grant that aims to work with the
ornamental horticulture industry in providing safer plants for pollinators. The project will
improve home landscapes for pollinators by studying:
• The attractiveness of specific ornamental horticulture plants for honey bees, bumble
bees and other native pollinators.
• The concentration of systemic pesticides in pollen
and nectar to determine whether residues exceed
safe levels with current
ornamental horticulture production practices.
• Current and alternative insect management
strategies for economics, efficacy and toxicology
(impact on mammals, birds, fish and the
environment).
• People's perceptions and purchasing habits for
pollinator-attractive plants.
Evaluate Attraction
to Pollinators
•
•
•
•
5 cultivars of each
Replicated plots
Observations all season
Focus on attractive plant
types
• *A similar study will be
conducted with
herbaceous perennials
Annuals
Petunias
Geraniums (from vegetative cuttings)
Pansies (Violas)
Begonia
Impatiens, other (I. wallerana)
Impatiens, New Guinea
Marigold
Combination planter/color bowl
Geraniums (from seeds and plug seedlings)
Calibrachoa
Vinca (Catharanthus roseus)
Coleus
Zinnia
Verbena
Gerbera daisy
Salvia, annual
Fuchsia
Caladium
Dahlia
Snapdragon
Alyssum, sweet (Lobularia)
Lobelia
Portulaca
Dianthus
Value in 2014 ($)
262,959
223,954
186,024
133,349
114,829
99,950
82,362
81,344
46,657
44,592
42,236
19,900
16,472
15,863
14,261
13,977
13,805
12,639
12,533
12,119
11,381
11,259
9,606
7,736
Smitley lab Experiment (2014 – 2015): Tilia trees drenched
with imidacloprid the previous year
Experiment I: bumble bee colonies in screen
tents with annual flowers for 3 weeks
Bombus impatiens
Then put in shelters
and allowed to forage
freely the rest of the
summer
Bees Per Colony
Impact of Imidacloprid Basal Drench of Linden Trees Applied
after Petal Fall in 2014 to Bumble Bees 12 months later
60
40
20
Control
Screen
cage
exposure
period
170
June 19
180
Imidacloprid
drench
in July, 2014
190
200
210
Julian Date, 2015
Changes that may have
improved survival:
• CO2 instead of cold room
• 10 days in screen tents
• Water-based paint dots
220
230
240
Aug. 29
Conclusions
• Imidacloprid drench in the
spring decreased colony survival
• Imidacloprid drench of Tilia
trees had no impact on bumble
bees the following year
• Focus future research and
management on perennials and
woody plants that are highly
attractive to bees and
other pollinators
Best Management Practices to Protect
Pollinators: Focus on Highly Attractive Plants
• Do not spray flowers of plants attractive to bees
• Do not apply soil drenches of imidacloprid or
other systemic insecticides to plants attractive to
bees within 9 months before flowering
Japanese beetle
feeding on linden
leaves
Linden (Tilia spp.)
trees in flower
wikipedia
April
May
June
July
August September October
Foliar spray applied if defoliation is expected
to exceed 30% of total leaf area
Crabapple (Malus
spp.) trees in flower
Lesions appear on
leaves and fruit
wikipedia
April
May
June
July
August September October
To avoid pollinators, apply fungicides after leaf buds open and
before flowers open (best timing) or after the flowers drop.
Ash trees in
flower
EAB adults and
foliage feeding
EAB larvae tunnel
Under the bark
wikipedia
April
May
June
July
Make trunk injections in late May
after trees are done flowering
August September October
Selective products to
minimize impact on
pollinators
• Insecticidal soap
• Horticultural oil
• B.t.
Chlorantraniliprole. This EPA Reduced Risk chemical
interrupts the normal muscle contraction of insects resulting
in paralysis and death. It has systemic activity and can be
applied as a foliar spray or through the soil. It is labeled
against turf pests including caterpillars, white grubs, crane fly,
billbugs, annual bluegrass weevil, and spittlebugs; and pests
of ornamentals including leaf-feeding caterpillars, lace bugs,
aphids, birch leafminer, and as a bark spray for clearwing
borers.
Selective products to minimize
impact on pollinators
Acetamiprid. Acetamiprid is in the Neonicotinoid
class of chemicals and is classified as reduced risk
by EPA. It kills insects by disrupting nerve function.
Acetamiprid is a systemic and absorbed through the
foliage. It is labeled to control a broad range of pest
insects on ornamental plants including aphids,
adelgids, caterpillars, European pine sawfly,
mealybugs, leafhoppers, armored and soft scales,
plant bugs, whiteflies, fungus gnat larvae, thrips,
and leafmining flies.
Hexythiazox. Hexythiazox is a mite growth regulator that
disrupts the normal development of mites. It is effective
against immature spider mites and eggs, has long residual
activity and applied at low rates. Hexygon (a.i. hexythiazox)
is selective for spider mites in the Tetranychidae family which
includes arborvitae spider mite, European red mite,
honeylocust spider mite, Pacific spider mite, Southern red
mite, spruce spider mite, strawberry spider mite, twospotted spider mite, and Willamette mite. There is no bee
precautionary statement on the label of Hexygon and it is
generally considered nontoxic to bees, although there is a
caution that there may be a short residual (~2 hr) effect on
alfalfa leafcutting and alkali bees.
Selective products to
minimize impact on
pollinators
Buprofezin. Buprofezin is an insect growth
regulator (IGR). Buprofezin is effective against
nymphal stages of soft and armored scales (crawler
stage), whiteflies, psyllids, mealybugs, planthoppers
and leafhoppers by inhibiting chitin synthesis,
suppressing oviposition of adults, and reducing
viability of eggs. It is nontoxic to bees and is not
disruptive to other beneficial insects and mites.