Impacts of Neonicotinoid Insecticides on Pollinator Health

Neonicotinoid insecticides, characterised by their systemic uptake and persistence in plant tissues, have become ubiquitous in modern agriculture. While these compounds effectively target sap-feeding pests, they also contaminate pollen, nectar and soil, exposing pollinators across diverse landscapes. Evidence from field and laboratory studies indicates that even low, chronic exposures can impair navigation, foraging behaviour, learning and immune competence in honey bees, bumble bees and solitary bees. At the colony level, sublethal effects accumulate to reduce brood development, colony growth and overwintering success. Mitigation measures such as seed-treatment bans and buffer zones have been introduced in several regions, yet post-approval monitoring often reveals residual neonicotinoid levels in non-crop plants and aquatic habitats. The global decline of pollinator populations poses a threat to food security and ecosystem resilience, underscoring the need for integrated pest management strategies, enhanced risk assessment protocols and the development of alternative control methods that preserve pollinator health.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated that wild bumble bee colonies foraging in intensively farmed landscapes accumulate multiple pesticide residues in collected pollen, with neonicotinoid concentrations strongly associated with reduced colony performance during peak bloom. Trials conducted across several European countries reveal that regulatory risk assessments have underestimated real-world exposure, as eusocial colonies show diminished worker production and delayed development when foraging in simplified landscapes dominated by treated crops. These findings call for strengthened post-approval surveillance and adaptive mitigation measures to safeguard non-Apis pollinators under field conditions.

Impacts of Neonicotinoid Insecticides on Pollinator Health publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in impacts of neonicotinoid insecticides on pollinator health across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Systemic insecticide: A compound absorbed by plants and transported through vascular tissues, rendering all plant parts toxic to feeding insects.

Sublethal effect: Physiological or behavioural impairment in an organism that does not cause immediate death but can reduce reproductive success or survival over time.

Colony performance: Composite measure of a social bee colony’s health, including brood rearing, worker production and overwintering survival.

Eusocial: Highest level of social organisation in insects, featuring cooperative brood care, division of labour and overlapping generations.

References

1. Pesticide use negatively affects bumble bees across European landscapes. Nature (2023).
2. Pesticide Exposure and Effects on Non-Apis Bees. Annual Review of Entomology (2023).
3. The environmental risks of neonicotinoid pesticides: a review of the evidence post 2013. Environmental Science and Pollution Research (2017).
4. Systemic insecticides (neonicotinoids and fipronil): trends, uses, mode of action and metabolites. Environmental Science and Pollution Research (2014).
5. Environmental fate and exposure; neonicotinoids and fipronil. Environmental Science and Pollution Research (2014).
6. Neonicotinoids in bees: a review on concentrations, side-effects and risk assessment. Ecotoxicology (2012).
7. Multiple Routes of Pesticide Exposure for Honey Bees Living Near Agricultural Fields. PLOS ONE (2012).
8. Insect immunity in the Anthropocene. Biological Reviews (2024).
9. Potential Application of Organic Electronics in Electrical Sensing of Insects and Integrated Pest Management towards Developing Ecofriendly Replacements for Chemical Insecticides. Advanced Science (2023).