Study revealed that bees can become "addicted" to neonicotinoids
Research developed by a group of scientists from Imperial College and Queen Mary University in London, UK, reached an unprecedented conclusion: Bees can become addicted to substances such as neonicotinoids.
According to the document, in these insects, elementals for the pollination of crops, a taste for these harmful substances can "flourish", as happens to the human being who consumes nicotine in its various presentations.
Specialists emphasize that, if bees consume food contaminated with these pesticides, they run the risk of suffering negative effects in their regular reproduction systems.
For the investigation were analyzed hills of bees that effectively "fed" with these harmful substances, and whose effects proved devastating in the short and medium term.
"This is a potentially worrisome discovery, since it is believed that chemicals affect the central nervous system of insects, resulting in paralysis and death," said Dr. Richard Gill, a member of the Imperial Life Sciences Department.
The study leader also added that when bees are young they avoid contact with neonicotinoids. However, he pointed out that as they develop, they become more interested in these chemicals, and that is when the "addiction" begins.
"Interestingly, neonicotinoids target nerve receptors in insects that are similar to nicotine-directed receptors in mammals. Our findings indicate that bees acquire a taste for neonicotinoids, presenting certain symptoms of addictive behavior, "said the scientist.
Dr. Andrés, another of the participants in the analysis, mentioned that "now we have to carry out more studies to try to understand the mechanism behind why they acquire this preference".
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