The disappeared of the bee world

Kiwi beekeepers are boycotting pollination of squash because they fear that a new pesticide is killing their bees. The insecticide, imidacloprid, is thought to have caused the loss of about 200 beehives over the past six months. It kills insects feeding on the plants and its effects can last as long as the life of the crop. Poverty Bay beekeepers are especially worried if the imidaclprid is used on clover.

Imidacloprid has been linked to disorienting bees on foraging flights and is suspected to have been the culprit in the French Gaucho incidents. After ingesting the chemical bees lose their navigation skills and fail to return to their hives.