A 4-year study sh0wed that pollinating insects boosted margins for rapeseed farmers in France more effectively than pesticides to fend off unwanted bugs and damage, according agricultural researcher INRA and the country’s National Centre for Scientific Research.
Why it matters: The benefit of pesticides didn’t make up for higher costs. If farmers lessen their pesticide use, it can both help the environment and their gross margins. “Greater yields may be achieved by either increasing agrochemicals or increasing bee abundance, but crop economic returns were only increased by the latter,” the researchers said.
Go deeper: USDA suspends honeybee colony research
