Bio-pesticide could stem catastrophic decline in honeybee numbers

Ninety per cent of plants depend on pollination by bees. Photo / Getty Images

A pesticide made from spider venom has been found to kill insects without harming honeybees.

Researchers at Newcastle University in Britain combined venom from the Australian funnel-web spider and lectin from snowdrops to create a "bio-pesticide".

Common neonicotinoid pesticides used on crops are believed to be behind a catastrophic decline in honeybee numbers in recent years.

Around 90 per cent of plants rely on pollinating insects to survive, meaning a decline in bees could have a drastic effect on food production.

The new pesticide - Hv1/GNA - will allow bees to forage and pollinate without harm, scientists at the university's School of Biology believe.

Neonicotinoids are thought to harm honeybees by attacking their nerve system, which disrupts learning and memory so they cannot locate pollen or find their way back to the hive.

During the Newcastle study, bees were exposed to varying concentrations of the spider and snowdrop poison over seven days. Researchers found it did not affect the bees' memory, even in high doses.

Dr Geraldine Wright, of the university's Honeybee Lab said: "If we destroy the biodiversity of pollinators then it will be irrelevant how effective our pesticides are because we won't have any crops to protect. There is now substantial evidence linking neonicotinoid pesticides to poor performance and survival in bees and what we need now is a clear directive from government to develop and introduce bee-safe alternatives."

There is a two-year Europe-wide ban on neonicotinoid pesticides, which runs out in April. Scientists remain divided about it, with some believing it may cause governments to overlook other factors such as climate change or viruses.