# Fungicides and bees



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

An interesting news article around a study that found a correlation between fungicide and bee population declining.

The main correlation was found with chlorothalonil. This is the ai in daconil.

I do want to stress that a correlation does not mean cause and effect. Further research is needed.

News article:
https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/29/alarming-link-between-fungicides-and-bee-declines-revealed

Research paper:
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/284/1867/20172181


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## osuturfman (Aug 12, 2017)

Chlorothalonil is one of the most widely used pesticides in the world, including the US. It's a chlorine-based pesticide which basically means it is antagonistic to many of the organisms it comes in contact with, both the good and the bad ones. There are products out there that are more environmentally safe than chlorothalonil but, they are much more expensive.

About 15-20 years ago, chlorothalonil came under threat of being pulled from the market. It ultimately wasn't taken off the as the manufacturer's agreed to annual limits of 88 lb of AI per year. This was basically the first shot in the war to completely remove it from the US market, a process that will ultimately be done within the next 3-5 years, if not sooner.

The good news for homeowners is that chlorothalonil has not been registered for use on residential turf for quite some time, so you should notice any impact on your programs.


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