US government says widely used pesticide could harm honeybees

The preliminary assessment will help form the scientific basis for US government policy as it considers whether to control the use of the pesticides

The US government has acknowledged for the first time that one of the world's most widely used pesticides can be harmful to honeybees.

The results of field trials, released Wednesday by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), show imidacloprid, a common neonicotinoid, can cause hive populations to fall among the world's most important pollinators.