engleski

The use of insecticides in field crop production in 2013 and observed decline of honey bee colonies in the region of Tovarnik

To minimize potential adverse effects on bees, the European Commission Regulation 485/2013 banned the use of certain active substances from the group of neonicotinoids insecticides (effective from 30 November 2013). As part of a study - aiming to explore the relationship between the application of insecticides in farming and potential losses of honey bee colonies - farmers, beekeepers and agricultural producers of the municipal Tovarnik were surveyed in 2013, before the regulation entered into force. Questionnaire for farmers contained questions on cultivated land, crops sown, and the type and dose of insecticide used. Questionnaire for beekeepers contained questions on the number of hives, and the grazing losses of honey bee colonies in the season and during overwintering. The poll was conducted on 14 agricultural producers covering 72% of the arable crop area in the municipality Tovarnik. Cereals (32.5%) and sugar beet (25.8%) made the majority of sown seeds. In the season when the survey was conducted, 100% of sugar beet seeds and 74% sunflower seeds were treated with neonicotinoids while 95.3% of wheat and 98% of sugar beet - sown areas were treated with foliar insecticides.The polling of seven beekeepers, whose hives represent 84% of all bee colonies in the area of Tovarnik, revealed that there were no colony losses during the growing season and that overwintering resulted in loss of 6% of communities. In the investigated area the application of insecticides from the group of neonicotinoids is difficult to be connected with losses of honey bee colonies.

survey ; the losses of bees ; insecticides ; neonicotinoids ; crop production

Ovaj rad izrađen je u sklopu IPA projekta: „Jačanje suradnje između znanosti, industrije i poljoprivrednih proizvođača: transfer tehnologije za integriranu zaštitu šećerne repe u cilju povećanja prihoda poljoprivrednih proizvođača i smanjenja upotrebe pesticida.“ (2007/HR/16IPO/001-040511) i projekta Hrvatske zaklade za znanost (09/23): „Unaprjeđenja u tehnologiji proizvodnje šećerne repe sukladno načelima integrirane zaštite od štetnika“