Bee Alert: Pesticides Pose a Real Threat to More Than 70% of Wild Bees

A new study reveals alarming risks that pesticides pose to ground-nesting bees, which are crucial for pollination and food production. As agriculture increasingly relies on pesticides to protect crops, the unintended consequences for these essential pollinators are becoming clearer.

Led by Sabrina Rondeau, an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Biology at the University of Ottawa, the research highlights the urgent need to reassess pesticide safety standards to protect these essential pollinators. The work is published in the journal Science.

The study reveals that current pesticide risk assessments, which primarily use honeybees as test subjects, fail to account for the unique vulnerabilities of wild bees that nest in soil. “Our findings show that over 70% of wild bee species, which are crucial for pollinating our food crops, face significant risks from pesticide residues in soil—a threat current regulations overlook,” says Dr. Rondeau.