Honey Bees
Other Resources:
1.
http://www.reading.ac.uk/news-and-events/releases/PR263711.aspx
Pollination by insects is vital for agricultural production and maintenance of biodiversity – 80% of British wild flowers and 84% of EU crops depend on insect pollinators, mainly bees.
2. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7027264/Bee-numbers-in-England-fell-by-more-than-half-over-the-last-20-years.html
The University of Reading research found there was a 54 per cent decline in managed honey bee populations in England between 1985 and 2005 compared to an average of 20 per cent across Europe.
Dr Potts, from the University of Reading’s School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, requested official data from 18 countries on honey bee colony numbers.
In England the bee population fell from 182,000 colonies in 1965 to 179,000 in 1985, to 83,000 today.
England had the most dramatic fall followed by Sweden, Germany and Austria. Scotland suffered a 15 per cent loss in the last two decades and Wales lost 23 per cent of colonies.
3.
4.
http://guardianlv.com/2013/10/diesel-exhaust-thwarts-honeybees-floral-odor-recognition/
5.
https://web.duke.edu/nicholas/bio217/spring2008/mcconville/pollinatorstatus.html
Pesticide Use Data
http://www.ecifm.rdg.ac.uk/pesticides.htm
Pesticides in the UK
Different farming practices require a range of pesticides. The chart below indicates the area of land treated in the UK. This is calculated by multiplying the area treated by the number of spray types it receives, e.g. a tank mix of two different chemicals spread seven times a season would be equivalent to 14 times the area sprayed.
Source: Central Science Laboratory from Environment Agency website
It can be observed that spray area has increased over time owing to:
| More frequent treatments |
| More complex tank mixes |
Pesticides in water
http://www.ecifm.rdg.ac.uk/pesticides.htm
Recent amendments to EC pesticide legislation require pesticide products to meet standards of a maximum level of 0.1 µg/l for potential contamination of groundwater. The graph below reflects the percentage of sites where at least one sample was found to exceed these limits.
Where excesses do occur, these are found to be in very small quantities. Although the graph above does show variations between years, underlying data suggests that it is not indicative of any trend, but reflects changes in sampling variation and protocol. For the latest figures on the levels of pesticides visit the Environment Agency website
Fresh water
There are currently around 350 ingredients approved for use in agricultural pesticide products in the UK. Most pesticides detected in freshwater (as opposed to ground water), are found in very low concentrations that are well within existing or proposed Environmental Quality Standards (EVQ’s). The very low limit set by the EC Drinking Water Directive (1µg/l or 1 part per 10 billion) has been used as a benchmark. The graph below gives details for five herbicides and one insecticide with respect to limit exceedance, these are the types most commonly found in rivers. The insecticide ‘Lindane’ has been included , owing to its very high toxicity to aquatic life.
- Rodenticide Use in Scotlands Farms
http://www.sasa.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Rodenticides_on_Arable_Farms_2000-2010.pdf
