"The world's most widely used insecticide has for the first time been officially labelled an 'unacceptable' danger to bees feeding on flowering crops. Environmental campaigners say the conclusion, by Europe's leading food safety authority, sounds the 'death knell' for the insect nerve agent."

"The chemical's manufacturer, Bayer, claimed the report, released on Wednesday, did not alter existing risk assessments and warned against 'over-interpretation of the precautionary principle'.

The report comes just months after the UK government dismissed a fast-growing body of evidence of harm to bees as insufficient to justify banning the chemicals."

Damian Carrington reports for the Guardian January 16, 2013. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Death Knell for Nerve Agent Pesticides in Move To Save Bees" (Independent) [3]

"Syngenta, Bayer Pesticides Pose Honeybee Threat: EFSA" (Reuters) [4]