The Soil Association is demanding urgent research into the ‘chemical cocktail’ bees are ingesting after a US study found pollen routinely contained pesticides, while fungicides tripled disease risk in the insects.

“The study demonstrated that we may be massively underestimating the impacts of pesticides on our pollinators,” she said. “In the UK an average of 20 different pesticides are applied to fruit, 12 to vegetables and 16 to arable crops. For strawberries, the average number of different pesticides used last year was nearly 30.”

Levels of neonicotinoids – often linked to declining bee populations – were low, but tests showed the insects’ susceptibility to disease was vastly increased by the presence of key pesticides, while fungicides were also found to play a major role.

“The significant increase in Nosema infection following exposure to the fungicides in pollen we found therefore indicates a pressing need for further research on lethal and sub-lethal effects of fungicides on bees,” the researchers said.