Reduce pesticide or herbicide use generally

Overall effectiveness category Awaiting assessment
Number of studies: 1
Share Tweet Email

View assessment score

How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

not assessed
Certainty

not assessed
Harms

not assessed

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Study locations

Key messages

One replicated trial in the USA showed that numbers of foraging bees on squash farms are not affected by the responsible use of pesticides.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

Shuler et al. (2005) compared the abundance of bees visiting squash flowers Cucurbita sp. on farms that either used pesticides (13 farms) or did not (12 farms), in the eastern USA. They found no difference in the abundances of squash bees Peponapis pruinosa, bumblebees Bombus sp. or honey bees Apis mellifera that could be explained by pesticide use. The study included no information about the type of pesticide, quantity or timing of its use. The authors assumed pesticides were applied on these study farms at times when bees were not exposed.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Shuler R.E., Roulston T.H. & Farris G.E. (2005) Farming practices influence wild pollinator populations on squash and pumpkin. Journal of Economic Entomology, 98, 790-795.

Please cite as:

Dicks, L.V., Showler, D.A. & Sutherland, W.J. (2010) Bee conservation: evidence for the effects of interventions. Pelagic Publishing, Exeter, UK

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Bee Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Leave field margins unsprayed within the crop (conservation headlands) Action Link	Awaiting assessment	3	Synopsis Link
Restrict certain pesticides Action Link	Awaiting assessment	1	Synopsis Link
Reduce pesticide or herbicide use generally Action Link	Awaiting assessment	1	Synopsis Link