BEES pesticide Toxicity "Traffic Light" URGENT FOR AFRICA AGRICULTURE.

?Bees Apis species (superfamily Apoidea), any of more than 20,000 species of?insects?in the suborder?Apocrita?(order?Hymenoptera), including the familiar?honeybee?(Apis) and?bumblebee?(Bombus?and?Psithyrus) as well as thousands more. These flamboyant insects are key to the food chain continuation that is not known by many and are threatened by human activity that is not known by many.

The greatest threat to the bees is synthetic pesticides of the group NEONICOTIONOIDS - these chemicals are systemic This means they can be applied directly to the soil (as a “drench”) around a plant’s roots, or as a coating on a plant seed, which the plant then literally soaks up as it grows. That makes the plant's nectar, pollen, leaves, stems, and fruit toxic.

TOXICITY -refers to the ability of a pesticide to produce adverse effects on an organism and its normal function. Toxicity can be described in 3 different categories as :

1. ?Acute toxicity-?refers to systemic damage resulting from a single or short-term exposure to the chemical. A pesticide with a high acute toxicity can be deadly in small amounts. The signal words found on all pesticide labels are based on the acute toxicity of the pesticide to mammals (e.g., humans),?not?pollinators. For pollinators, acute toxicity from pesticides can result from either direct exposure (e.g., pesticide spray), exposure to residues on foliage and/or flowers, or consumption of the pesticide in nectar or pollen (subacute or dietary exposure) (Gradish et al. 2019; Thompson 2001).

2. Residual toxicity?refers to pesticides that have residues that are expected to cause target pest and non-target organism mortality. Many pesticide applicators prefer to use products with longer residual activity because they can provide extended protection for the target pests. Pesticide residues, often left on the foliage of plants, decrease in toxicity over time.

Residual toxicity can be greater or less than 8 hours offering a chance to work on timing when the bees are not foraging for instance in the evening, a shorter residual toxicity can be safe for bees if, for instance, it is CONTACT pesticide. But neonicotinoids are systemic and hence translocated into the flowers for periods > 8 hours.

In Kenya, 42 products used under trade names such as THUNDER OD, CONFIDOR WG, PREMISE 240 SC, BELLAMID 600 FS, and LOYALTY 700WDG contain imidacloprid ( produced by Bayer ) as the active ingredient from neonicotinoid but restricted for greenhouse applications only in Europe, while in Kenya it is used in the open field production despite the toxicity lights reading RED but the ''traffic officers'' seem unaware or not concerned .?refer:https://ezyagric.com/888d8b697c4149acae67065bf448b50a#:~:text=Thunder%20can%20be%20used%20for,cyfluthrin%20(45g%2Fl).

https://agroduka.com/confidor-wg70?srsltid=AfmBOorQkx2WWjsZxyxL8GNO7y8TzGvvFGbfGnILbu5Ne2DX2dd1O_

Neonicotinoids ingredient thiamethoxam ( from Syngenta) has its registration withdrawn from Europe while in Kenya more than 10 products with trade names such us APRON STAR 42 WS, and ACTARA 25 WG, are still on agro vet shelves sold as seed dressing /coating which also affects microbial and beneficial insect activity in the soil hence affecting soil fertility. ENGEO 247 SC, and LEXUS 247 SC trade names that also contain thiamethoxam are used in open-field production to control whiteflies and Aphids in tomatoes.

refer :https://www.syngenta.co.ke/product/crop-protection/engeo-247sc ,

https://www.syngenta-us.com/insecticides/actara

The core challenge is that information does not reach the farmers in Kenya, Africa due to lack of training, inadequate labeling, and insufficient will to implement regulations. Agricultural shows should also be a platform not only to showcase the products of companies but also to facilitate ample knowledge on safe agricultural pesticide use

3. Chronic toxicity?refers to harmful effects produced by long-term or repeated exposure to pesticides that may impact the survival, growth, or reproduction of individual bees or entire colonies. The more we don't take seriously instructions from the manufacturer the closer we are to chronic toxicity level in the ecosystem, A product banned and deregistered from the country of origin or given specific precautionary instructions should not find its way on africa farms or handled casually as already witnessed.

Agriculture contributes 50 % to most countries' GDP in Africa with a stunning 80 % of output coming from smallholder farmers who are not literate enough to understand the colors of the pesticide toxicity '' traffic light''.

Written by Mashel Nyagilo - Agronomy consultant, [email protected]