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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Yes. A 2017 worldwide survey found at least one of five tested neonicotinoids in 75% of 198 honey samples. That is evidence that bees encounter these compounds through food; it is not, by itself, proof that the honey is unsafe to eat or that every detected amount harms bees.
What did the worldwide honey survey find?
Mitchell and colleagues analyzed 198 honey samples from around the world for five neonicotinoids: acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam. The study, published in Science on October 6, 2017, found at least one of the compounds in 75% of samples. The authors wrote that their results “confirm the exposure of bees to neonicotinoids in their food throughout the world.” PubMed’s indexed abstract summarizes the study.
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Multiple residues were common within the sample set: 45% of samples contained two or more tested compounds, and 10% contained four or five. Among positive samples, the average concentration was 1.8 ± 0.56 nanograms per gram (ng/g). These figures describe the study’s samples, not the proportion or concentration of neonicotinoids in honey currently sold worldwide.
Which pesticides were detected, and what does detection mean?
The study tested the five named neonicotinoids, a class of insecticides. Finding a residue means that the analytical test detected a compound in a sample. It does not, on its own, establish the residue’s effect on a bee, whether a food-safety limit was exceeded, or the risk to a person eating the honey.
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Honey is collected from materials bees forage on, so residues in it provide evidence of exposure through food. But a honey sample is not a direct measure of an individual bee’s dose or of ecological harm. Those questions require evidence about toxicity, exposure levels, and conditions of use.
Does finding neonicotinoids in honey mean it is unsafe to eat?
No such conclusion follows from detection alone. The 2017 study reported that the measured concentrations were below the maximum residue levels (MRLs) authorized for human consumption under the EU limits it referenced at the time. That is a historical comparison with those limits—not a finding about every jurisdiction’s rules or current limits. The abstract does not establish a human-health conclusion about dietary exposure. The study abstract reports the residue results and its MRL comparison.
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An MRL is a regulatory limit used for pesticide residues in food. A detected residue is not automatically an MRL violation: the 2017 survey’s reported concentrations were below the cited EU limits. Nor does that comparison answer the separate question of how neonicotinoid use affects pollinators.
What does the bee-risk assessment say?
In February 2018, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that most uses of clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam represented risks to wild bees and honeybees. EFSA summarized its assessment by saying, “Most uses of neonicotinoid pesticides represent a risk to wild bees and honeybees.” This assessment concerns pesticide uses and bee risk; it is not an evaluation of human risk from eating the honey samples in the 2017 survey. EFSA’s 2018 summary describes the assessment.
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How do other honey-monitoring results compare?
Different monitoring efforts cover different places, samples, and chemicals, so their percentages should not be treated as directly interchangeable.
| Evidence | Scope and sample | What it found |
|---|---|---|
| Mitchell et al., 2017 worldwide survey | 198 honey samples from around the world; five neonicotinoids | At least one tested neonicotinoid in 75%; 45% had two or more, and 10% had four or five. |
| EFSA report on 2017 EU monitoring | 659 honey and other apicultural-product samples; pesticides generally, not neonicotinoids alone | 464 samples (70.4%) had no quantifiable residues; 183 (27.8%) had quantifiable residues at or below applicable MRLs; 12 (1.8%) had at least one residue above an MRL. |
| French analysis released in July 2026 | Ten honeys, including three organic samples, and two spreads; selected products, not a representative market survey | The organization reported 5,371 ng/kg across six neonicotinoids in one Moldovan-Bulgarian blended honey and 7 ng/kg in one French organic honey. |
EFSA’s 2017 monitoring figures are for pesticides generally, and the number of pesticides tested in honey varied by reporting country. They are not a neonicotinoid-only prevalence estimate. EFSA’s report on 2017 EU pesticide-residue monitoring gives the sample breakdown.
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The 2026 French results were reported by the environmental organization Agir pour l’environnement in partnership with the French beekeeping organization UNAF. The small, selected set does not show how common residues are across French products, imported honey, or the global market. The contrast between those two tested honeys also does not establish that imported honey is generally more contaminated or that organic honey is residue-free. Agir pour l’environnement’s release describes the products and reported results.
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What can readers reasonably conclude?
- The 2017 worldwide survey detected at least one of five tested neonicotinoids in 75% of its 198 honey samples.
- That finding supports the conclusion that bees encounter neonicotinoids through food, but detection alone does not quantify harm to bees.
- The survey’s comparison with EU food-residue limits at the time does not prove that honey is risk-free, and it does not establish a human-health risk from consumption.
- Separate evidence matters: EFSA assessed risks to bees from most uses of three neonicotinoids, while EU residue monitoring covered pesticides generally.
- The 2026 French product analysis is a small set of tested products, not a representative estimate of honey on sale worldwide.
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