New research reignites concerns that pesticides are harming bees

In Germany, some regions lost more than 90% of their "small" birds because of the extensive monoculture. As soon as the crops could provide food for the birds, they are harvested. Ironically, it means that rural areas are like deserts for birds and they can only survive in cities!

As the NYT piece says, this isn't about killing the insects:

> “Most of the studies in the past have focused on direct effects on the bees, both the adults and the larvae,” said Robbin Thorp, professor emeritus and bee expert at the University of California Davis, who was not involved in this paper. These can include effects on bee mortality or reproduction.

> “This study now clearly demonstrates that in addition to effects on the bees, both direct effects and sublethal indirect effects, that these effects are influencing their ability to pollinate plants,” Thorp said. “And they used apple as an example of this, as an important crop.”