新煙堿:園丁需要知道的

新煙堿:園丁需要知道的

There has been a lot of buzz in recent years about a group of chemicals known as "neonicotinoids." These pesticides affect the central nervous systems of insects, and are a suspected link to colony collapse disorder in domesticated honeybees as well as the rapid decline of many wild pollinator species.

近年來，一組被稱為“新煙堿類”的化學(xué)物質(zhì)引起了廣泛的討論。這些殺蟲劑影響昆蟲的中樞神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)，被懷疑與家養(yǎng)蜜蜂的蜂群衰竭失調(diào)以及許多野生授粉昆蟲物種的迅速減少有關(guān)。

Neonicotinoids infect a plant throughout its entire system, including the nectar and pollen that pollinators harvest. (Photo: Adkin Alexandr/Shutterstock)

About 85% of Earth's flowering plants rely on pollination by bees and other pollinators, according to the Xerces Society, a nonprofit that protects wildlife through invertebrate conservation. Bees also pollinate more than 30% of all plants that produce foods and beverages consumed by humans around the world.

根據(jù)Xerces協(xié)會(一個通過無脊椎動物保護野生動物的非盈利組織)的數(shù)據(jù)，地球上大約85%的開花植物依賴于蜜蜂和其他傳粉者的授粉。蜜蜂還為全世界30%以上的植物授粉，這些植物生產(chǎn)人類食用的食物和飲料。

"Neonicotinoids are one of the most serious causes of downward negative pressure on pollinators," according to Keith Delaplane, a professor of entomology and director of the Honey Bee Program at the University of Georgia. In fact, he rates neonicotinoids as the second-leading cause of decline in the nation's honeybees, reserving the top spot for the parasitic varroa destructor mite.

佐治亞大學(xué)昆蟲學(xué)教授、蜜蜂項目負(fù)責(zé)人基思·德拉普蘭說，“新煙堿類殺蟲劑是給傳粉者帶來下行負(fù)壓的最嚴(yán)重原因之一。”事實上，他認(rèn)為新煙堿類殺蟲劑是導(dǎo)致美國蜜蜂數(shù)量下降的第二大原因，為瓦羅螨的寄生寄生保留了第一名的位置。

What are neonicotinoids?

新煙堿是什么?

Pesticides don't have the same impact on pollinators. (Photo: Iakov Filimonov/Shutterstock)

"Neonicotinoids are a broad-spectrum pesticide that get their name from their basic chemistry, because it is close to that of nicotine," said Delaplane, emphasizing that "neonics," as they are often called, are not the same as nicotine. The neonicotinoid family includes specific pesticides such as acetamaprid, imidacloprid, dinotefuran, clothianidin, and thiamethoxam. They gained popularity in agricultural and commercial ornamental production because they are effective against a wide range of insect pests, and are considered less hazardous to humans and other vertebrates than many insecticides.

“新煙堿類殺蟲劑是一種廣譜農(nóng)藥，它的名字來源于其基本化學(xué)成分，因為它與尼古丁的成分相近，”德拉普蘭說。他強調(diào)說，新煙堿并不等同于尼古丁。新煙堿類包括特定的農(nóng)藥，如撲熱息痛、吡蟲啉、呋蟲胺、噻蟲嗪和噻蟲嗪。它們在農(nóng)業(yè)和商業(yè)觀賞生產(chǎn)中很受歡迎，因為它們能有效地對付各種各樣的害蟲，而且被認(rèn)為比許多殺蟲劑對人類和其他脊椎動物的危害要小。

"The hallmark of neonicotinoids is that they are systemic," Delaplane added. That means they travel throughout a plant via its vascular system and distribute the chemical to all parts of the plant tissue 24/7, including its nectar and pollen.

德拉普蘭補充說:“新煙堿類殺蟲劑的特點是它們是全身的。”這意味著它們通過植物的維管系統(tǒng)在整個植物中傳播，并將化學(xué)物質(zhì)24/7地分配到植物組織的所有部分，包括花蜜和花粉。

How neonicotinoids became a cause of concern

新煙堿如何引起關(guān)注

A European honeybee brings fresh pollen back to the hive. (Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim [GNU Free}/Wikimedia Commons)

In a 2014 report, David Smitley — a professor of entomology at Michigan State University who works with horticulture industries on solving insect pest problems — included neonics in a timeline tracing the decline of honeybees.

在2014年的一份報告中，密歇根州立大學(xué)的昆蟲學(xué)教授David Smitley與園藝工業(yè)合作解決蟲害問題，他將新煙堿公司納入了追蹤蜜蜂數(shù)量下降的時間表中。

In 2014, a Harvard School of Public Health study linked low doses of neonicotinoids to colony collapse disorder. Additional studies produced mixed results regarding pesticides' impact on bee declines, and also pointed to other factors such as the varroa mite and insufficient food sources.

2014年，哈佛大學(xué)公共衛(wèi)生學(xué)院的一項研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，低劑量的新煙堿類殺蟲劑與蜂群衰竭失調(diào)有關(guān)。關(guān)于殺蟲劑對蜜蜂數(shù)量下降的影響，其他研究的結(jié)果喜憂參半，也指出了瓦螨和食物來源不足等其他因素。

Citrus plants, like this lemon tree, can contain high levels of imidacloprid residue. (Photo: Larisa Blinova/Shutterstock)

In late May 2019, the EPA pulled a dozen neonicotinoid-based pesticides from the market as part of a legal settlement involving the Center for Food Safety. The products contain the active ingredients clothianidin or thiamethoxam.

在2019年5月下旬，作為涉及食品安全中心的法律解決方案的一部分，EPA從市場上撤下了12種新煙堿類殺蟲劑。產(chǎn)品含有活性成分噻蟲胺或噻蟲嗪。

Of the 12 pesticides canceled in the U.S., seven were for seed coating products used by farmers, according to Bloomberg Environment. Farmers still have access to other neonic-based products, but environmental groups are pushing the EPA to ban them for all outdoor uses.

據(jù)彭博環(huán)境報道，在美國被取消的12種殺蟲劑中，其中7個是農(nóng)民使用的種子包衣產(chǎn)品。農(nóng)民們?nèi)匀豢梢垣@得其他基于新煙堿的產(chǎn)品，但環(huán)保組織正在推動美國環(huán)保署禁止在戶外使用這些產(chǎn)品。

“This entire class of active ingredient soon will be up for re-registration by 2022,” George Kimbrell, legal director at the Center for Food Safety, tells Bloomberg Environment. “These first 12 were just an interim step.”

食品安全中心的法務(wù)部主任喬治·金布瑞爾告訴彭博社環(huán)境欄目:“這類活性成分將于2022年重新注冊。前12個只是一個過渡階段。”