Disease susceptibility found to be increased as a result

A US study has revealed that bees ingest a cocktail of chemical mixtures from pesticides and fungicides used by farmers.

The new research shows that honey bees are twice to three times more susceptible to disease as a result of field doses of farming chemicals – fungicides in particular.

The findings come just months after neonicotinoids insecticides were revealed to cause significant harm to bees.

Nine different pesticides were found in pollen during the study, however, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Health (Defra), an average of 20 different pesticides are applied to fruit in the UK.

Furthermore, the average number of different pesticides used last year on strawberries alone was nearly 30.

The results show that bees are coming into regular contact with mixtures of pesticides, which combined, are thought to have much worse potential affects.

"This is an extremely worrying finding which should raise alarm bells," said Emma Hockridge, head of policy at the Soil Association. "The study demonstrated that we may be massively underestimating the impacts of pesticides on our pollinators."

Ms Hockridge added that the association is calling for urgent research into the cocktail effect of pesticides, so that they are examined for similar indirect effects of that found in neonicotinoid insecticides.

"We need to get off the chemical treadmill and focus on alternative ways of controlling pests and fungal disease, for example, by using agroecological approaches such as organic farming."