{"id":2000118948,"date":"2026-07-10T17:39:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T15:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000118948"},"modified":"2026-07-10T17:39:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T15:39:55","slug":"common-pesticide-may-threaten-future-generations-of-bumblebees-scientists-warn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/common-pesticide-may-threaten-future-generations-of-bumblebees-scientists-warn\/","title":{"rendered":"Common pesticide may threaten future generations of bumblebees, scientists warn"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A widely used pesticide designed to protect crops from harmful insects may also be affecting the reproductive health of bumblebees, raising concerns about the long-term survival of one of the world\u2019s most important pollinators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology found that low levels of exposure to sulfoxaflor, a modern pesticide used against crop pests such as aphids, can alter gene activity in bumblebees, especially in tissues linked to reproduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bumblebees play a crucial role in global agriculture by helping pollinate many crops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists estimate that pollinators contribute to about one third of the world\u2019s food production, making their protection essential for food security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although sulfoxaflor was developed to target harmful insects and improve crop production, researchers say its effects on beneficial insects such as bees need greater attention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chemical is already known to be toxic to bees, but the new study reveals how even small amounts may affect their biology at the molecular level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research team exposed worker bumblebees to low doses of the pesticide and later examined changes in their gene expression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The greatest changes were found in ovarian tissues, suggesting that the chemical may interfere with reproductive processes and reduce the number of offspring produced by bee colonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand the impact, scientists analyzed bee tissues and studied RNA activity, which helps reveal how genes respond to environmental stress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also used computer models to identify the biological systems most affected by pesticide exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers say the findings provide an important connection between molecular changes inside bees and possible consequences for entire colonies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reduced reproduction among bumblebees could eventually contribute to population declines and threaten pollination systems that agriculture depends on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study highlights a major challenge facing modern farming: finding ways to control crop-damaging pests while protecting beneficial insects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists say better pest management strategies are needed to maintain healthy bee populations while ensuring reliable food production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond pesticides, bumblebees are also facing other environmental pressures, including rising temperatures and more frequent heatwaves, which add further stress to already vulnerable populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers hope that a better understanding of how chemicals affect pollinators will help farmers and policymakers develop safer agricultural practices that protect both crops and the insects that support ecosystems worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Scientists discover how a popular pesticide harms bumblebee reproduction<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A widely used pesticide designed to protect crops from harmful insects may also be affecting the reproductive health of bumblebees, raising concerns about the long-term survival of one of the world\u2019s most important pollinators.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":2000118950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"byline":[201],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000118948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","byline-rania-umutoni"],"bylines":[{"id":201,"name":"Rania Umutoni","slug":"rania-umutoni","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":139}],"contributors":[{"id":201,"name":"Rania Umutoni","slug":"rania-umutoni","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":139}],"featured_image":{"id":2000118950,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/bumblebee-collecting-flower-nectar.webp","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/webp","width":1920,"height":1080,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/bumblebee-collecting-flower-nectar.webp","width":1920,"height":1080},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/bumblebee-collecting-flower-nectar.webp","width":1920,"height":1080},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/bumblebee-collecting-flower-nectar.webp","width":1920,"height":1080},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/bumblebee-collecting-flower-nectar.webp","width":1920,"height":1080},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/bumblebee-collecting-flower-nectar.webp","width":1920,"height":1080}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000118948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000118948"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000118948\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000118979,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000118948\/revisions\/2000118979"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000118950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000118948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000118948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000118948"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000118948"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000118948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}