Recently a friend of mine spoke to me about a insecticide deadly to bees. At first I just felt sorry he had lost most of his hive, not to mention the money loss. However whilst speaking with him , it began to sound like it had a way further effect then just on bees.
Here is some things I found out about Fipronil.
Fipronil is an insecticide used to control insects and is particularly deadly to bees.
It is used in a wide range of things but mainly on pets to protect them from fleas.
In baits, as pest control to protect our homes and workplaces from infestation and on crops to protect them from pests.
In 2017 however there was an egg withdrawal in Europe as contaminated eggs were discovered on farms in the Netherlands. Allegedly 180 farms were contaminated! This lead to millions of eggs being withdrawn from sale.
It was reported that 26 of the 28 EU countries found eggs and egg products to be contaminated with Fipronil. 45 countries worldwide were affected.
The contamination is alleged to have come from the pest control they were using to protect the chickens from fleas and ticks.
The same ingredient is used in a lot of flea treatments for our pets .
Whilst there is no scientific evidence that it is harmful to pets, besides them eating it. Some pet owners have taken to social media posting videos and blogs about the dangers of using these products.
Fipronil is considered “moderately toxic” to humans if eaten in large quantities.
Side effects of poisoning are: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, and epileptic seizures.
It is harmful to kidneys, liver and thyroid glands if it ingested.
However aside from eating large amounts it is considered to be not poisonous to humans.
However if it gets in our channels and river systems it could be devastating.
Studies have found Fipronil to be highly toxic to both fish and invertebrates both fresh water and sea dwelling.
Just when you think surely it can’t get any worse. Fipronil is also listed by the US EPA as an active ingredient in pesticides as an ingredient that may cause cancer.
Studies in rats have found Fipronil affects their reproduction. Effects included: less mating, reduced fertility, smaller litter size, and increased loss of pregnancy.
As you can see Fipronil is very good at killing pests. But what effects is it having on us?
To try and save the bee industry in Europe, Fipronil was banned from use on crops in the EU in 2017.
Bees are an important part of our ecosystem.
They not only make honey but also pollination plants so they can reproduce and grow crops.
It is lost on me why we are still using Fipronil in Australia.
Anyways this is just a little info I read about.
I leave you to make your own decisions.
Have an awesome day everyone!
Sources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40878381
https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/brochures-leaflets/fipronil-eggs-factsheet-december-2017
http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/archive/fiptech.html#reg
http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/fipronil.html#wildlife
https://www.pan-europe.info/old/Campaigns/pesticides/documents/cut_off/list%20of%20lists.pdf