Despite the harm it causes bees, a neonicotinoid has been approved for ‘emergency use’ on sugar beet
Megan Shersby
In mid-January, the UK government confirmed that if conditions were met, then the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam could be used on sugar beet to tackle Virus Yellows disease. This is the fourth year in a row that the pesticide has been approved for emergency use, and wildlife charities are calling on the government to find alternatives.
Neonicotinoids, often shortened to ‘neonics’, are a group of insecticides that are used to kill pest invertebrates such as aphids that feed on crops, and in veterinary medicine to tackle ticks and fleas.
“It is shocking that once again, the government has gone against the advice of its own expert advisors and decided to put wildlife at risk,” says David Smith, social change and advocacy officer at Buglife.
“Thiamethoxam is highly toxic to bees and aquatic invertebrates and is known to persist in the environment long after application. Neonicotinoids were banned due to their dangerous effects; the ban must be upheld, and their use stopped if we are to have any chance of meeting targets to halt the decline of nature.”
Virus Yellows disease is a complex of three viruses that is spread via sap-feeding aphids. It results in a reduction in the size and sugar content of affected sugar
