Pesticides found in 75% of world's honey

Geneva : About 75 per cent of the world's honey is contaminated with bee-harming pesticides, a key factor behind the global decline of the crucial crop pollinators, a study has found.

Researchers from University of Neuchatel in Switzerland tested 198 honey samples for five commonly used neonicotinoids - insecticides that affect the central nervous system of insects. Samples were taken across all continents - except Antarctica - as well as numerous isolated islands. Overall, 75 per cent of all honey samples contained at least one neonicotinoid; of these contaminated samples, 30 per cent of contained a single neonicotinoid, 45 per cent contained two or more, and 10 per cent contained four or five. Concentrations were highest in European, North American, and Asian samples.