Prof. Nigel Raine‘s study showing neonictinoid pestsicides are threatening wild bees’ spring breeding was garnered national media attention. Stories on the School of Environmental Sciences professor’s research were featured in the Globe and Mail, Radio-Canada International and CBC News. The study is the first to link exposure to thiamethoxam, one of the most commonly used neonics, to fewer fully developed eggs in queens from four wild bumblebee species that forage in farmland. Queens with less-developed eggs will likely translate into slower egg-laying rates, which will then impeded colony development and growth. The study also found queen bees from two of the four species ate less nectar after being exposed to the pesticide, which Raine suspects would further reduce the bees’ chances of reproductive success.