PESTICIDE USE AND BUMBLE BEES

That this House notes the recent publication of the scientific paper, Effects of imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid pesticide, on reproduction in worker bumble bees, by Laycock, Lenthall, Barrett and Cresswell, which reports research showing that exposure of bumble bees to environmentally realistic levels of imidacloprid reduced brood production by one third; believes that this is a major concern as bumble bees are important pollinators whose population has declined over recent years; recognises that this research adds further to the considerable body of evidence linking neonicotinoid use to population reductions in a range of invertebrates; and calls on the Government to ban the use of this group of systemic pesticides anywhere in the UK.