An effective risk management approach to prevent bee damage due to the emission of abraded seed treatment particles during sowing of neonicotinoid treated maize seeds.

摘要

In spring of 2008, a bee incident occurred in the Upper Rhine Valley (Germany) during the sowing of maize: bees were exposed to abraded particles of the seed-coating containing the insecticide clothianidin. An inspection of drilled seed batches for resistance to abrasion and a geographical correlation analysis between specified seed batches and reported bee damages revealed that the incident was caused by improperly dressed batches of maize seeds with excessive abrasion of particles which were subsequently emitted via the outlet air stream of the pneumatic sowing machines. In order to ensure the bee safety of seed-dressing products, technical improvements of seed treatment quality and sowing technology were developed resulting in a minimization of formation and emission of abraded seed treatment particles. The efficacy of these improvements was proven in field trials.