Bees at risk of pesticides targeted by Zika

According to new research, nearly 13 percent of American beekeepers risk losing their colonies because of pesticides sprayed to contain Zika virus.

Zika – which can cause severe brain malformations in unborn children – is transmitted by mosquitoes. Insects are therefore targeted in the southern United States, where Zika-carrying mosquito species live. The new research, conducted by Exeter University and the University of California, Berkeley, was sparked by a 2016 press report on millions of honeybees killed by spraying from Zika. Honeybees are not native to the United States and most colonies are kept by beekeepers, who play a key role in agriculture by helping to pollinate crops.

By comparing bee density data with Zika risk areas, the researchers calculated the percentage of colonies that could be affected.

"A colony unexpectedly exposed to pesticide spraying for mosquitoes would almost certainly be eliminated," said Lewis Bartlett, of the Center for Ecology and Conservation Penryn campus of the University of North Carolina. Exeter in Cornwall.

"US beekeepers are moving their colonies to help farmers, so a beekeeper with all his bees in one area at a time could lose everything."

Mosquitoes are usually targeted for spraying in the summer, when insects are the most active, but it is also the key moment for honeybees.

Some states, such as Florida, have established mosquito control programs and systems to limit the effects on unwanted targets such as bees. But researchers warn that other countries are less prepared to organize measures such as warning beekeepers before spreading.

"At the beginning of this research, we talked to a beekeeper who was caught off guard and lost all his bees," Bartlett said.

"Beekeeping is a very traditional way of life in the United States, with great pride for families who have been practicing it for generations, but many are fighting now.

"Given all the threats to bees, even a little extra problem could become the straw that breaks the camel's back.

"Many beekeepers live to the limit, and if something like that changes things so that beekeeping is no longer profitable, the impact on agriculture and food prices will be enormous."

Many countries are rightly concerned about Zika, but Dr. Bartlett said that research and preparation are essential before embarking on "expensive and environmentally harmful" mosquito control measures.

The study found a positive correlation between bee colony density and areas offering favorable conditions for zika – increasing the risk of bees reaching by anti-zika sprays.

These researchers include Florida, the Gulf Coast and possibly Central California. The researchers said their study was only possible because of data from the USDA and the CDC, as well as regulations enforced by the EPA.

The study focused on honey bees because they are kept by beekeepers, which means they have more data than any other species of bee.

Although the results do not translate directly into other species, Bartlett said honeybees were resilient to most bees. As a result, the status of other species could be similar or worse.

The paper, published in the Journal of Apicultural Research, entitled "Identification of risk areas for honey bees in vector control against Zika virus in the United States".

Source: University of Exeter