Pesticide Deadly to Bees Now Easily Detected in Honey
Published:26 Nov.2020 Source:University of Waterloo
A common insecticide that is a major hazard for honeybees is now effectively detected in honey thanks to a simple new method.
Researchers at the University of Waterloo developed an environmentally friendly, fully automated technique that extracts pyrethroids from the honey. Pyrethroids are one of two main groups of pesticides that contribute to colony collapse disorder in bees, a phenomenon where worker honeybees disappear, leaving the queen and other members of the hive to die. Agricultural producers worldwide rely on honeybees to pollinate hundreds of billions of dollars worth of crops.