Alternative pest control methods as a means of protecting pollinators and the important role they play in ecosystems and food systems

       New research into the link between bee deaths and pesticides supports the call for alternative pest control methods. According to a peer-reviewed study by USC Dornsife researchers published in the journal Nature Sustainability, 43%.
       While evidence is mixed about the status of the most famous bees, brought to the Americas by European colonists in the 17th century, the decline of native pollinators is clear. About a quarter of wild bee species are “endangered and at increasing risk of extinction,” according to a 2017 study by the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, which linked habitat loss and pesticide use to climate change. Change and urbanization are seen as major threats.
       To better understand the interactions between pesticides and native bees, USC researchers analyzed 178,589 observations of 1,081 species of wild bees drawn from museum records, environmental studies and social science data, as well as public lands and county-level pesticide studies. In the case of wild bees, the researchers found that “negative impacts from pesticides are widespread” and that increased use of neonicotinoids and pyrethroids, two common pesticides, “is a key driver of changes in the populations of hundreds of wild bee species.” “
       The study points to alternative pest control methods as a means of protecting pollinators and the important role they play in ecosystems and food systems. These alternatives include using natural enemies to reduce pest populations and using traps and barriers before applying pesticides.
       Some studies suggest that competition for bee pollen is harmful to native bees, but a new USC study found no noteworthy link, says the study’s lead author and USC professor of biological sciences and quantitative and computational biology Laura Laura Melissa Guzman acknowledges that more research necessary to support this.
       “Although our calculations are complex, much of the spatial and temporal data is approximate,” Guzman acknowledged in a university press release. “We plan to refine our analysis and fill gaps where possible,” the researchers added.
       Widespread use of pesticides is also harmful to humans. The Environmental Protection Agency has found that some pesticides, especially organophosphates and carbamates, can affect the body’s nervous system, while others can affect the endocrine system. About 1 billion pounds of pesticides are used annually in the United States, according to a 2017 study by the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Aquatic Science Center. In April, Consumer Reports said it had found that 20% of U.S. products contained hazardous pesticides.