EPA SEEKS TO EXTEND USE OF NEW PESTICIDE, AND BEEKEEPERS ARE WORRIED
On May 6th the EPA granted unconditional registration for a new pesticide called sulfoxaflor for use on barley, bulb vegetables, canola, citrus, cotton, cucurbit vegetables, fruiting vegetables, leafy vegetables, low-growing berries, okra, ornamentals (herbaceous and woody), pistachio, pome fruits, root and tuber vegetables, small vine climbing fruit (except fuzzy kiwifruit), soybean, stone fruit, succulent, edible podded and dry beans, tree nuts, triticale, turfgrass, watercress and wheat.
Sulfoxaflor is the first of a new class of insecticides, the sulfoximines, created because many insects have developed resistance to the most commonly used pesticides currently on the market. Sulfoxaflor acts on nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) in the insects’ nervous system, leading to paralysis and death. It is considered a different class of insecticides than neonicotinoids, and is effective against many insects that are resistant to neonicotinoids.
Now the EPA is considering expanding its use to include corn, oats and alfalfa.
Bee advocates are concerned because it is known to be toxic to bees, especially if applied while bees are on the crops. Bees and pollination are essential to agriculture and their populations are declining at over 30 percent every year, with losses over 70 percent on bees that were used to pollinate this years California almond crop.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.