Study
Country-specific effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on honey bees and wild bees
Woodcock, Ben A.; Bullock, James M.; Shore, Richard F.; Heard, Matthew S.; Pywell, Richard F.
Science, 2017
A large field experiment across three countries compared bee colonies at oilseed rape sites treated with neonicotinoid seed dressings against untreated controls, measuring colony survival and reproduction in honey bees, bumblebees and a solitary bee.
- Studied in
- Apis mellifera, Bombus terrestris, Osmia bicornis
- Sample size
- 33 oilseed rape sites across the United Kingdom, Germany and Hungary
Effects were negative overall but varied by country: harm to honey bee colonies appeared in the United Kingdom and Hungary but not in Germany, while wild bee reproduction was negatively associated with neonicotinoid residues across countries.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
Neonicotinoid exposure can reduce bee reproductive success, with outcomes depending strongly on local environmental context.
How NatureHQ reads it
A rare large-scale field test of a question usually studied in the laboratory, and a good illustration of why "do pesticides harm bees?" has no single-word answer. The country differences are the finding, not noise in it — context, alternative forage and background stressors all matter. Note also that wild bees, which are less studied and less protected, fared worse than managed honey bees.
- Field studies cannot fully control exposure; residues were found at some control sites.
- One crop and one growing season.
- Part-funded by agrochemical manufacturers, which the authors disclosed and which is worth knowing.
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: American Association for the Advancement of SciencePublished in Science or Science Advances (AAAS).
doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa1190
This reference was resolved automatically against Crossref and OpenAlex on 2026-08-11.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-08-09.