Review of Neonicotinoid Use, Registration, and Insect Pollinator Impacts in Minnesota August 2016 Photo credit: Joel, Gardner Review of Neonicotinoid Use, Registration, and Insect Pollinator Impacts in Minnesota August 2016 Minnesota Department of Agriculture Pesticide and Fertilizer Management Division 625 Robert Street North Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155-2538 Dave Frederickson, Commissioner Matthew Wohlman, Assistant Commissioner Report collaborators: Dan Stoddard, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Gregg Regimbal, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Jamison Scholer, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Joseph Zachmann, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Loretta Ortiz-Ribbing, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Rajinder Mann, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Acknowledgments: Carmen Converse, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Carmelita Nelson, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Robert Dana, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Dan Shaw, Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources Phil Monson, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Judy Wu, University of Minnesota Robert Koch, University of Minnesota Gurinderbir Chahal, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Please direct inquiries on this report to: Raj Mann, Research Scientist Minnesota Department of Agriculture 651.201.6208 [email protected] Additional information available at: https://www.mda.state.mn.us/chemicals/pesticides/regs/pestprodreg.aspx http://www.mda.state.mn.us/en/protecting/bmps/pollinators.aspx 1 In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this information is available in alternative forms of communication upon request by calling 651-201-6000, TTY users can call the Minnesota Relay Service at 711. The MDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider. Table of Contents 1 Introduction and background .................................................................................................................. 12 1.1 Process .................................................................................................................................................. 12 1.2 Criteria................................................................................................................................................... 13 1.3 Insect pollinators and pesticides ........................................................................................................... 14 2 Neonicotinoid background, chemistry, and mode of action ................................................................... 16 2.1 Commercially available neonicotinoids ................................................................................................ 17 3 Federal, state, and other neonicotinoid registration policies and initiatives .......................................... 22 3.1 USEPA registration review .................................................................................................................... 22 3.2 USEPA refined assessment for terrestrial insects ................................................................................. 23 3.3 USEPA new risk assessment framework for pollinators ....................................................................... 24 3.4 US registrant product stewardship ....................................................................................................... 30 3.5 USEPA neonicotinoid product labeling requirements and pollinator protection ................................. 31 3.6 Label instructions and balancing pollinator protection responsibility ................................................. 32 3.7 Agricultural vs. orchard vs. landscape/residential application rates .................................................... 32 3.8 US state-specific restrictions on neonicotinoid use to protect pollinators .......................................... 34 3.9 Actions in other nations ........................................................................................................................ 35 4 Neonicotinoid use and sales .................................................................................................................... 39 5 Neonicotinoid applications and movement in the environment ............................................................ 45 5.1 Movement and environmental fate of neonicotinoids in plants .......................................................... 45 5.2 Movement and environmental fate of neonicotinoids in soil .............................................................. 47 5.3 Movement and environmental fate of neonicotinoids in water and sediment ................................... 50 5.4 Movement and environmental fate of neonicotinoids in air ............................................................... 54 6 Risks of neonicotinoid use ....................................................................................................................... 55 2 In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this information is available in alternative forms of communication upon request by calling 651-201-6000, TTY users can call the Minnesota Relay Service at 711. The MDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider. 6.1 Risk to insect pollinators ....................................................................................................................... 55 6.2 Pollinators and neonicotinoid exposure points in plants ..................................................................... 58 6.3 Honey bee colony level exposure ......................................................................................................... 59 6.4 Exposure routes .................................................................................................................................... 60 6.5 Pollinators and lethal impacts ............................................................................................................... 62 6.6 Pollinators and sublethal impacts ......................................................................................................... 65 6.7 Neonicotinoid interactions ................................................................................................................... 70 6.8 Risks to non-target organisms other than pollinators .......................................................................... 72 7 Benefits of neonicotinoids ....................................................................................................................... 78 7.1 Alternatives to neonicotinoids .............................................................................................................. 80 7.2 Neonicotinoids compared to other conventional insecticides ............................................................. 81 7.3 Neonicotinoids and IPM ........................................................................................................................ 81 8. Proposed action steps regarding use of neonicotinoids.........................................................................82 Appendix 1: A brief review of Apis mellifera health stressors .................................................................... 85 Appendix 2: USEPA neonicotinoid registration review activity ................................................................. 92 Appendix 3: Label additions for protection of pollinators ......................................................................... 95 Appendix 4: Additional MDA efforts to protect pollinators and their habitat .........................................97 Appendix 5: Abbreviations and definitions ............................................................................................ ..102 References .................................................................................................................................................104 3 In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this information is available in alternative forms of communication upon request by calling 651-201-6000, TTY users can call the Minnesota Relay Service at 711. The MDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider. Executive summary Neonicotinoid insecticides are currently one of the most widely used insecticides in the world because of their properties including potent broad-spectrum toxicity possessing contact, oral, and systemic activity. They are effective at very low concentrations, are less toxic to mammals, and are not cross- resistant to other classes of insecticides including carbamates, organophosphates, and synthetic pyrethroids. However, recent research has suggested potential toxicity concerns for neonicotinoids to various life stages of honey bees, native bees, as well as other pollinating insects. Pollinators are essential in the reproduction of 90% of the world’s flowering plants and 30% of the food human’s consume. Many plants such as alfalfa, apple, blueberry, sunflower and canola, cannot reproduce without the help from insect pollinators. The pollination services offered by insect pollinators also play a crucial role in the maintenance of biodiversity and ecological balances in natural ecosystems by providing important food and habitat for other wildlife species. Managed honey bees (Apis mellifera) alone pollinate more than $17 billion worth of crops in the U.S. each year and are regarded as the most important managed pollinator. Over the last 50 years, honey bees have been faced with a number of stressors that impact their health and survivorship including a