--- description: A commonly-used pesticide is making it harder for bees to reproduce, reducing sperm count and viability, according to new research title: Honeybees: Pesticide Reduces Sperm in Pollinators image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt78157044f7c2b015/69889ff6f887dc1124e96d9e/honeybee-decline-pesticide.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [animals](/tag/animals/) ## animals Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Common Pesticide Is Reducing Sperm in Bees by 39%, Study Says  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Jul 28, 2016 1:29 PM CUT  Blossoms of the apple variety "Mody" are blooming, a honey bee is sitting on one of them. Blossoms of the apple variety "Mody" are blooming, a honey bee is sitting on one of them.Frank Bienewald—LightRocket via Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Jul 28, 2016 1:29 PM CUT A commonly-used pesticide is making it harder for bees to reproduce, reducing sperm count and viability, according to new [research](http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/283/1835/20160506 "undefined"). The study, published in the journal _Proceedings of the Royal Society B_, joins a [slew of research](http://time.com/76688/its-hard-out-there-for-a-honeybee/ "undefined") showing how neonicotinoid pesticides have harmed bee populations, increasing their vulnerability to disease. The decline of bees, the topic of a [2013 TIME cover story](http://time.com/559/the-plight-of-the-honeybee/ "undefined"), has agricultural producers and policymakers in the U.S. worried. Dozens of commercial crops that contribute billions of dollars annually to the U.S. economy rely on pollinators like bees, according to a White House [report](http://time.com/3888147/white-house-honeybees-plan/ "undefined"). The new research focuses specifically on male bees, known as drones, and shows that drones in colonies exposed to neonicotinoids have produced 39% fewer sperm than their non-exposed counterparts. “Male honey bees have really been neglected by honey bee health scientists,” says study author Lars Straub, a researcher from the University of Bern. “These results may turn a few heads.” The European Union previously banned neonicotinoids and the pesticide is [under review](https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/schedule-review-neonicotinoid-pesticides "undefined") by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4428176/pesticides-bees-sperm/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4428176/pesticides-bees-sperm/"},"headline":"This Common Pesticide Is Reducing Sperm in Bees by 39%, Study Says","datePublished":"2016-07-28T13:29:30.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T23:37:02.999Z","description":"The pesticide was banned in the European Union but is still used in the U.S.","url":"https://time.com/4428176/pesticides-bees-sperm/","keywords":["animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt78157044f7c2b015/69889ff6f887dc1124e96d9e/honeybee-decline-pesticide.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt78157044f7c2b015/69889ff6f887dc1124e96d9e/honeybee-decline-pesticide.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"honeybee decline pesticide","caption":"honeybee decline pesticide","creditText":"Frank Bienewald—LightRocket via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/animals/","name":"animals"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4428176/pesticides-bees-sperm/","name":"This Common Pesticide Is Reducing Sperm in Bees by 39%, Study Says"}}]}] ```