Two of the world's top three insecticides harm bumblebees – study

Different types of neonicotinoid pesticide have varying effects on colonies with one showing no bee decline, say scientists

Two of the world's most widely used insecticides cause significant harm to bumblebee colonies, a new study has found, but a third had no effect.

The work shows the distinct effects of each type of neonicotinoid pesticide, from cuts in live bees and eggs to changed sex ratios and numbers of queens. Previously, the different types of neonicotinoids have often been treated as interchangeable.