"Insecticide Blamed for Monarch Butterfly Decline"

"The neonicotinoid insecticide clothianidin is a likely contributor to monarch butterfly declines in North America, finds new research by a team from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Theirs is the first report of neonicotinoids affecting monarchs or any other butterflies.

The research, published on Friday, identifies concentrations of clothianidin as low as one part per billion as harmful to monarch butterfly caterpillars. These concentrations of clothianidin were found in the populations of milkweeds sampled by the researchers.

The research by Jacob Pecenka and Jonathan Lundgren was conducted in Brookings, South Dakota and is published in the journal 'Science and Nature.'"

Jim Crabtree reports for Environment News Service April 5, 2015.