Nicotine-like pesticides used in farming harm bee populations, the European Union's food safety watchdog said on Wednesday.

"Most uses of neonicotinoid pesticides represent a risk to wild bees and honeybees," the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said.

Critics have blamed the pesticides for causing a dramatic drop in the global bee population. Bees play a crucial role in pollinating crops, which has led to fears that the bee decline could threaten food supplies.

The EFSA report examined three neonicotinoids manufactured by German and Swiss chemical giants Bayer and Syngenta: clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam.

All about the birds and the bees... As sweet as honey They are the pollination super stars! Honeybees account for about 80 percent of all pollination by insects. They visit a large variety of plants, collecting pollen and nectar taking it back to their hive. Each hive can collect about 66 pounds of pollen every year. As well as the honeybees, there are several thousand wild bee species. Most of those live a solitary life, not in hives.

All about the birds and the bees... The humble bumblebee They are bigger and hairier than honeybees, but just as useful: bumblebees also feed on floral nectar, using their long hairy tongues to collect the delicious liquid. Bumblebees are social animals like honeybees, but form much smaller colonies of only about 50 to 600 individuals.

All about the birds and the bees... Don't be waspish Wasps have a bad reputation and the vast majority of wasp species play no role in pollination. That is because wasps have a smooth body without hairs, and pollen doesn't stick to them. Pollen wasps are different, though. They collect pollen and nectar inside their throats and feed their young with it.

All about the birds and the bees... Just a busy bee? These little creatures try to look dangerous by imitating the coloring of bees and wasps - but they are harmless and cannot sting. They are often seen hovering above flowers. The adults love nectar and pollen and are important pollinators. Hoverfly larvae are also useful: they feed on aphids and thus help with pest control.

All about the birds and the bees... To bee, or not to bee They look a bit like a cross between a fly and a bee, hence their name. Bee flies can grow to up to four centimeters. They live in many parts of the world, but are most diverse in the tropics and subtropics. Adult bee flies love pollen and nectar; their larvae, though, feed on the eggs or larvae of other insects.

All about the birds and the bees... Float like a butterfly There are more than 18,000 species of butterflies, and most of them are brightly coloured. With their long, thin legs and relatively small bodies, they cannot carry as much pollen as bees. Still, they do a good job pollinating plants. Unlike bees, butterflies can see red which attracts them to different blooms than bees.

All about the birds and the bees... A help or a hindrance? Moths are less colourful than butterflies, but they still belong to the same family. Moths fly at night. That's why they do not need bright colours. But they also feed on flowering plants. Some moths, and especially their caterpillars, are major agricultural pests, though.

All about the birds and the bees... Don't beetle about the bush Did you know that beetles also play a role in pollination? Some of them do, such as the flower scarab, also called flower beetle. As the name suggest, they visit flowers for pollen and nectar. There are around 4,000 species. One is the green rose chafer (photo).

All about the birds and the bees... In the blink of an eye It is not only insects that do the pollinator's job - there are birds on duty as well. Especially birds with long slim bills like hummingbirds carry pollen from one flower to the next when feeding on nectar. Some species of plants have even evolved to produce flowers that appear especially attractive to hummingbirds.

All about the birds and the bees... Sun worshipper Some other birds belonging to the passerine group also appreciate floral nectar. Take this Seychelles sunbird. Its long, slender bill shows that it is specialized on drinking from flower blossoms. This species is especially fond of hibiscus flowers.

All about the birds and the bees... Creature of the night? Bats - including their larger relatives, the fruit bats - play an important role in plant distribution and reproduction. While some bat species prefer insects, others feed on fruit or on nectar. When they drink nectar with their long tongues, they transfer pollen from one blossom to the next.

All about the birds and the bees... A creature that nose pollen In Madagascar, primates like this mouse lemur pollinate flowers and are even essential to the reproduction of some tree species. They stick their noses into the flowers to drink nectar, and pollen collects on their snouts.

All about the birds and the bees... Scaling up Yes, there are even some species of lizard and snake that help with pollination. Researchers found that, especially on islands, lizards are important pollinators. They suspect that lizards have fewer predators on islands and are therefore more numerous. On these islands they can roam around more freely and expand their diet to nectar, pollen and fruit. Author: Brigitte Osterath



Read more: 'The History of Bees' is Germany's top-selling book of 2017

The results confirmed findings in a 2013 EFSA report that led to a 2014 EU-wide ban. Bayer and Syngenta dismissed the 2013 report as unsound, arguing real-world evidence did not show that pesticides were the sole or primary cause of the drop in the global bee population.

"There is variability in the conclusions, due to factors such as the bee species, the intended use of the pesticide and the route of exposure," said the head of the EFSA chief, Jose Tarazona.

He added: "Some low risks have been identified, but overall the risk to the three types of bees, bumblebees, solitary bees, honeybees, we have assessed is confirmed."

The EFSA will present the report to EU leaders, who are set to decide on whether to maintain the 2014 ban.

Read more: Bees help protect crops from elephants

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