Science AMA Series: Hi, reddit! I’m Alex Lu, Associate Professor of Environmental Exposure Biology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and I’m here to talk about the state of science and public policy around the world on protecting honeybee health

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Hello, reddit!

My name is Alex Lu and I’m Associate Professor of Environmental Exposure Biology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. I study the decline of honeybee populations around the world. My team’s research has traced the collapse of honeybee colonies to a group of pesticides called neonicotinoids, and we’ve also published studies showing just how widespread these pesticides are in some areas.

The honeybee decline is a critical issue and the future of global agriculture—and our food supply—hinges on our ability to address it. Approximately one-third of the foods we commonly consume—apples, pears, blueberries, strawberries and so on—require pollination, and honeybees happen to be the most effective pollinator for agricultural production. The European Union (EU) has already taken action. Since December 2013, the EU has banned three most widely use neonicotinoid pesticides in crops that attract bees for pollination. Ontario, Canada also passed a bill in 2015 to restrict neonicotinoids uses in agriculture. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently in the midst of a review of neonicotinoids.

I’ll be here to answer your questions from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM ET; Ask Me Anything!

">Science AMA Series: Hi, reddit! I’m Alex Lu, Associate Professor of Environmental Exposure Biology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and I’m here to talk about the state of science and public policy around the world on protecting honeybee health