African scientists call for urgent action to control use of neonicotinoid pesticides
African scientists are calling for urgent action to control the use of toxic neonicotinoid pesticides, which are already banned in Europe, for fear of them having an adverse effect on biodiversity and food security in Africa. SciDev.Net reports that Enock Dankyi, a member of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and a lecturer at…
To bee or not to bee
This Sunday the UK celebrated World Bee Day (May 20th); the first year of the now to be annual UN awareness event aimed at increasing our sensitivity to the global importance and increasing struggle of pollinators. Whilst the event hopes to increase understanding of pollinators generally, including butterflies, moths, birds and bats, the focus is…
Buzzing activity around pollinator health
Yesterday I cherished the start of spring in England by attending an event devoted to pollinators and pollination at the University of Reading. Most presentations at this meeting organised by the Royal Entomological Society were understandably about bees, but we also heard a few talks highlighting the importance of other pollinator groups. For about five…