14 DAY TRIAL // Not very long ago, the European Union decided to impose a 2-year ban on the use of certain neonicotinoid insecticides on account of their killing bees and therefore negatively affecting agricultural practices.
According to a new research, these chemical compounds affect not just bees, but also aquatic organisms typically inhabiting freshwater sources.
Thus, experiments carried out on freshwater shrimps have revealed that imidacloprid (an insecticide belonging to said class) alters these organisms' feeding behavior and ultimately leads to their starving. Sources explain that, although they are mostly used in agricultural practices, these insecticides can reach freshwater sources whenever it rains.
More precisely, they get carried away by runoff and can affect surface waters.
The findings of this research are explained in detail in an article published in the journal PLOS ONE this past May 15.