Exposure even to low levels of imidacloprid, a widely used pesticide, can harm the central nervous system of bees and may be a reason behind the global bee colony collapse, a National Taiwan University research team said yesterday in Taipei.
Reports from around the world in recent years have shown that the population of wild bees has rapidly declined in many parts of the world. As bees contribute to the pollination of many crop species, ensuring production of seeds in many flowering plants and playing an important role in the ecosystem, many scientists are concerned about the rapid decline in bee colonies.
The university formed an interdisciplinary research team in 2008 to study whether the collapse was caused by the prevalent use of pesticides. A special method that the team developed — putting a tattoo on experimental bees — was applied to track the bees and observe the effects of insecticides on them.
National Taiwan University entomology professor Yang En-cheng (楊恩誠) said researchers discovered that imidacloprid — an insecticide belonging to a class of chemicals called the neonicotinoids — can cause worker bees to lose their way back to their hives.
“Normally, worker bees fly back to their hives when they have suck enough nectar, but when they consume up to about 50ppb [parts per billion] of imidacloprid, they stay on the flower, rubbing their eyes. We can see that they are uncomfortable, and they don’t fly back immediately,” Yang said.
Moreover, the team observed that even exposure to low levels — or just 10ppb — of imidacloprid can cause harm to bee larvae, depriving them of their ability to form and retain memories as they grow, thus contributing to the decline of the bee population.
The use of imidacloprid on certain crops was banned by the EU last year, but it is still widely used in Taiwan, Yang said.
While Taiwan earns about NT$2.3 billion (US$76 million) from honey each year, the government should evaluate whether it should limit the use of imidacloprid and other neonicotinoids, he said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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