A Brief Note On Pesticides And The Environmental...

1) Rationale and References: Neonicotinoids are important pesticides. They are used to kill a variety of pests. Many researches have been done with neonicotinoids. Researchers have found that neonicotinoids have toxic effects on many non-target species, one example being insects. This results in reduced growth, insects have problems reproducing and insect populations have also been declining as a result of this. Researchers have classified the effects of the insecticides based on US Environmental Protection Agency’s ecotoxicity classification system. Three insecticides: imidacloprid, clothianidin and fipronil all showed adverse effects on insects. There have been hundreds of scientific publications over the last 20 years that have talked about the adverse effects of neonicotinoids on pollinating insects. Also very low concentrations of neonics have an effect of insects. Reason why neonicotinoid pesticides is popular in controlling pests is because of its water solubility. Water solubility lets neonicotinoid to be applied in plants and then taken up by the plants. This, in turn helps kill insects in plants. The first neonicotinoid, imidacloprid, can just be sprayed on the plant. But it is more useful when it is applied to the soil instead. These insecticides help control beetles, fleas, cockroaches and other flies. However, there are many environmental concerns associated with the application of these insecticides. Research has shown that it is actually toxic to bees and