In February 2018, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) confirmed that the pesticide group of neonicotinoids is harmful to bees. A novel pesticide manufactured by Bayer AG is therefore being discussed as an alternative; it contains flupyradifurone from the class of butenolides. The product goes by the brand name of Sivanto.
Sivanto is assumed to be effective against various sucking insects such as aphids and whiteflies and can be used on a number of fruit and vegetable crops, but also on cocoa and coffee plants. Advertised as bee-friendly, the pesticide can even be applied on flowering fields. It has been available in the US market since 2015. In the EU, it is approved, but not yet available.
Measurable Impact on Honey Bees
Scientists from the University of Würzburg have now investigated the effect of flupyradifurone on honey bee behavior. The study led by Ricarda Scheiner, Professor for Neuroethology of Arthropods and Hannah Hesselbach, her PhD student was published in the current issue of Scientific Reports.
“Our data show that non-lethal doses of flupyradifurone after a single application to ….
