Neonics

Question 1

neonic use?

Answer 1

insecticide–use on oilseed rape, sunflower, beets, potatoes, cereals, fruits, veg

Question 2

applied against aphids

Answer 2

ya

Question 3

application methods of neonics?

Answer 3

soil drench, foliar spray, seed treatments (big one!!!)

Question 4

what are the most common neonics used on the prairies?

Answer 4

imidacloprid, clothianidin, and thiamethoxam

Question 5

other applications of neonics?

Answer 5

Pest control:
Fish farming
(controls rice-water weevil)
Turfgrass
Garden
Bait formulations
(domestic use against cockroaches and ants)
Injected into timber (combats termites)
Topically applied to household pets (ectoparasite control)

Question 6

MoA of neonics?

Answer 6

bind to nic receptor–>Na channel, let Na in–>depol; are not degraded by AChE, so they constantly stim APs; leads to cell energy exhaustion, paralysis, then death

Question 7

chemical properties of neonics?

Answer 7

highly water sol and highly lipid insol; low affinity for organic carbon

Question 8

what happens to neonics in the enviro?

Answer 8

photodegraded, but persist in light limited enviros–>e.g. under 8 in of water
relatively stable to hydrolysis and microbial degradation, so they persist in water
–>extends half life in soil to 1386 days;
about ~1% of applied neonics leaves in the form of dust, 94% remains in soil and soil water–>leaching into water ways via draining, snowmelt, run off

Question 9

advantages of neonics?

Answer 9

• -systemic insecticide; protects whole plant
• -seed dressing–>don’t ahve to apply as foliar spray/soil drench
• -low tox to non-target species, but highly tox to inverts
• -flexible use

Question 10

what are the problems and controversies surrounding neonics?

Answer 10

–moves away from the integrated pest management practices
–unclear economic benefits
–contamination of non-target environments–>will likely move to other aquatic enviros–>have been detected across the globe; ubiquitous
–enviro persistence–>can result in accumulation; Chronic neonicotinoid exposure to target and non-target species
Exceedance of levels needed to control pests & LC50s of beneficial insects
–direct effects on non-target species (pollinators, granvirous species–eat seeds;
–indirect effects on non-target species–>reduce bug amount for bug-eating birds
–pest resistence–e.g. colorado potato beetle 26x more resistant to thiamethoxam; 100x more resistant to imidacloprid only 3 years after being introduced to it

Question 11

what is IPM?

Answer 11

a philosophy of pest management predicated on minimizing the use of chemical pesticides via monitoring of pest populations, making maximum use of biological and cultural controls, applying chemical pesticides only when needed and avoiding broad-spectrum, persistent compounds.
–basically want to minimize pesticide use, reduce likelihood of resistance; minimize impact on non target organisms

Question 12

study slide 28

Answer 12

ya

Question 13

findings of dr. anson main?

Answer 13

Neonicotinoid residues have been
detected in the water and sediment of 36- 91% of wetlands sampled in Canada’s Prairie Pothole Region (PPR)
Neonics commonly detected in the spring (pre-seeding)
Marsh plants can be key indicators/drivers of neonic detection
Neonics are widespread in the Prairie surface waters

Question 14

findings of dr. cavallaro?

Answer 14

Successful emergence of adult
aquatic insects is significantly
impacted by neonicotinoid exposure
  Neonics can influence sex ratios of
emerged adults
  Comparative chronic toxicity of
commonly used compounds: Imidacloprid > Clothianidin > Thiamethoxam
Neonics can have serious impacts on aquatic insects.

Question 15

findings of dr. maloney?

Answer 15

Neonicotinoid mixtures have cumulative
toxicological effects on non-target aquatic insects (C. dilutus) that deviate from additivity under acute (96-h) and chronic (28-d) exposure settings.
Toxicity of neonic mixtures can’t be effectively be predicted by adding concentrations.
‘Neonics, they just don’t mix’

Question 16

findings of michelson?

Answer 16

Findings:
  Increased agricultural usage is
resulting in decreases in insect
populations
  Decreased insect populations have
detrimental impacts on aerial
insectivores
Agrochemicals = lower insects, lower insects = reduced bird health

Question 17

findings of dr. eng?

Answer 17

Low-level neonicotinoid exposure
can effect migratory behaviour:   Pre-migratory fueling
  Zugunruhe! (Pre-migratory
restlessness)
  Other stuff? – Wait and see!