新烟碱:园丁需要知道的

新烟碱:园丁需要知道的

There has been a lot of buzz in recent years about a group of chemicals known as "neonicotinoids." These pesticides affect the central nervous systems of insects, and are a suspected link to colony collapse disorder in domesticated honeybees as well as the rapid decline of many wild pollinator species.

近年来，一组被称为“新烟碱类”的化学物质引起了广泛的讨论。这些杀虫剂影响昆虫的中枢神经系统，被怀疑与家养蜜蜂的蜂群衰竭失调以及许多野生授粉昆虫物种的迅速减少有关。

Neonicotinoids infect a plant throughout its entire system, including the nectar and pollen that pollinators harvest. (Photo: Adkin Alexandr/Shutterstock)

About 85% of Earth's flowering plants rely on pollination by bees and other pollinators, according to the Xerces Society, a nonprofit that protects wildlife through invertebrate conservation. Bees also pollinate more than 30% of all plants that produce foods and beverages consumed by humans around the world.

根据Xerces协会(一个通过无脊椎动物保护野生动物的非盈利组织)的数据，地球上大约85%的开花植物依赖于蜜蜂和其他传粉者的授粉。蜜蜂还为全世界30%以上的植物授粉，这些植物生产人类食用的食物和饮料。

"Neonicotinoids are one of the most serious causes of downward negative pressure on pollinators," according to Keith Delaplane, a professor of entomology and director of the Honey Bee Program at the University of Georgia. In fact, he rates neonicotinoids as the second-leading cause of decline in the nation's honeybees, reserving the top spot for the parasitic varroa destructor mite.

佐治亚大学昆虫学教授、蜜蜂项目负责人基思·德拉普兰说，“新烟碱类杀虫剂是给传粉者带来下行负压的最严重原因之一。”事实上，他认为新烟碱类杀虫剂是导致美国蜜蜂数量下降的第二大原因，为瓦罗螨的寄生寄生保留了第一名的位置。

What are neonicotinoids?

新烟碱是什么?

Pesticides don't have the same impact on pollinators. (Photo: Iakov Filimonov/Shutterstock)

"Neonicotinoids are a broad-spectrum pesticide that get their name from their basic chemistry, because it is close to that of nicotine," said Delaplane, emphasizing that "neonics," as they are often called, are not the same as nicotine. The neonicotinoid family includes specific pesticides such as acetamaprid, imidacloprid, dinotefuran, clothianidin, and thiamethoxam. They gained popularity in agricultural and commercial ornamental production because they are effective against a wide range of insect pests, and are considered less hazardous to humans and other vertebrates than many insecticides.

“新烟碱类杀虫剂是一种广谱农药，它的名字来源于其基本化学成分，因为它与尼古丁的成分相近，”德拉普兰说。他强调说，新烟碱并不等同于尼古丁。新烟碱类包括特定的农药，如扑热息痛、吡虫啉、呋虫胺、噻虫嗪和噻虫嗪。它们在农业和商业观赏生产中很受欢迎，因为它们能有效地对付各种各样的害虫，而且被认为比许多杀虫剂对人类和其他脊椎动物的危害要小。

"The hallmark of neonicotinoids is that they are systemic," Delaplane added. That means they travel throughout a plant via its vascular system and distribute the chemical to all parts of the plant tissue 24/7, including its nectar and pollen.

德拉普兰补充说:“新烟碱类杀虫剂的特点是它们是全身的。”这意味着它们通过植物的维管系统在整个植物中传播，并将化学物质24/7地分配到植物组织的所有部分，包括花蜜和花粉。

How neonicotinoids became a cause of concern

新烟碱如何引起关注

A European honeybee brings fresh pollen back to the hive. (Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim [GNU Free}/Wikimedia Commons)

In a 2014 report, David Smitley — a professor of entomology at Michigan State University who works with horticulture industries on solving insect pest problems — included neonics in a timeline tracing the decline of honeybees.

在2014年的一份报告中，密歇根州立大学的昆虫学教授David Smitley与园艺工业合作解决虫害问题，他将新烟碱公司纳入了追踪蜜蜂数量下降的时间表中。

In 2014, a Harvard School of Public Health study linked low doses of neonicotinoids to colony collapse disorder. Additional studies produced mixed results regarding pesticides' impact on bee declines, and also pointed to other factors such as the varroa mite and insufficient food sources.

2014年，哈佛大学公共卫生学院的一项研究发现，低剂量的新烟碱类杀虫剂与蜂群衰竭失调有关。关于杀虫剂对蜜蜂数量下降的影响，其他研究的结果喜忧参半，也指出了瓦螨和食物来源不足等其他因素。

Citrus plants, like this lemon tree, can contain high levels of imidacloprid residue. (Photo: Larisa Blinova/Shutterstock)

In late May 2019, the EPA pulled a dozen neonicotinoid-based pesticides from the market as part of a legal settlement involving the Center for Food Safety. The products contain the active ingredients clothianidin or thiamethoxam.

在2019年5月下旬，作为涉及食品安全中心的法律解决方案的一部分，EPA从市场上撤下了12种新烟碱类杀虫剂。产品含有活性成分噻虫胺或噻虫嗪。

Of the 12 pesticides canceled in the U.S., seven were for seed coating products used by farmers, according to Bloomberg Environment. Farmers still have access to other neonic-based products, but environmental groups are pushing the EPA to ban them for all outdoor uses.

据彭博环境报道，在美国被取消的12种杀虫剂中，其中7个是农民使用的种子包衣产品。农民们仍然可以获得其他基于新烟碱的产品，但环保组织正在推动美国环保署禁止在户外使用这些产品。

“This entire class of active ingredient soon will be up for re-registration by 2022,” George Kimbrell, legal director at the Center for Food Safety, tells Bloomberg Environment. “These first 12 were just an interim step.”

食品安全中心的法务部主任乔治·金布瑞尔告诉彭博社环境栏目:“这类活性成分将于2022年重新注册。前12个只是一个过渡阶段。”