Bees may like neonicotinoids, but some may be harmed

Lab and field tests find controversial pesticides impair some pollinators

Honeybee on oilseed rape flower

WORKER SAFETY  Two new studies renew questions about the effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on honeybees (one shown on an oilseed rape flower) as well as wild pollinators.

Albin Andersson

Bees don’t have the mouthpart sensitivity to taste — and thus can’t avoid — nectar tainted with neonicotinoid pesticides, new lab tests indicate.