Bees prefer to eat food contaminated with pesticides and could become addicted to them in the same way smokers are addicted to nicotine, scientists have discovered.
A study by researchers at Newcastle University revealed that a chemical in neonicotinoid pesticides has a similar molecular structure to nicotine and may affect the reward centres in a bee's brain.
"As soon as it gets into their blood they're getting a little buzz, as it were, and they're responding to that," lead researcher Professor Geraldine Wright told the BBC.
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A separate study detailed the damage such pesticides cause to bees. Wild bee populations halved in areas where the pesticides were used, while bumblebee hives stopped growing and produced fewer queens, according to research conducted in Sweden.
Bee populations are in decline across Europe and North America due to pesticide use, habitat loss and disease. There are real concerns that an addiction to these toxic pesticides could see bee numbers plummet even further.
The studies have been hailed as ground-breaking, and could be used to push for a ban on the use of such pesticides. "At this point in time it is no longer credible to argue that agricultural use of neonicotinoids does not harm wild bees," Dave Goulson, a bee expert at Sussex University told The Guardian.
However, the Crop Protection Association – which represents several pesticide producers – has questioned the research. "The latest studies must be seen in the context of ongoing campaign to discredit neonicotinoid pesticides, regardless of what the real evidence shows," it said.