This Common Pesticide May Be Quietly Wiping Out Future Bumblebees Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have identified a new threat to bumblebees: low dose exposure to sulfoxaflor, a common pesticide used to control crop pests.
The study found that even small amounts of the chemical can alter gene activity and reproductive function in bumblebees. Bumblebees are essential pollinators, responsible for fertilizing a third of the world's crops.
Without them, our plates would be much emptier – and our grocery bills might skyrocket.