The Guardian newspaper reports that the US government has acknowledged for the first time that one of the world’s most widely used pesticides can be harmful to honeybees.

The results of field trials, released by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), show imidacloprid, a common neonicotinoid, can cause hive populations to fall among the world’s most important pollinators.

“This is a pretty big step forward in increasing our understanding of the potential for imidacloprids to impact colony health,” said Jim Jones, the EPA’s assistant administrator for chemical safety and pollution prevention.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jan/06/honeybee-populations-decline-pesticides-united-states-epa-study-imidacloprid