Bees could be getting hooked on pesticides that contain nicotine-like substances, according to a study published in Nature. Scientists at Newcastle University in the U.K. showed that bees are not able to detect neonicotinoid chemicals in sugar solutions at low levels, and for two of the varieties tested the bees actually preferred syrup spiked with the pesticides.

The study did not test for addictive behavior, but the authors hypothesize that nicotine-like properties could give the creatures a little "buzz" that heighten rewards in the same way cigarettes do for humans.

Another study in published in Nature showed some of the best evidence yet that pesticides containing neonicotinoids have a devastating effect on wild bees.

Researchers used "real world" conditions to test how toxic the substances are to bees. The toxicity had been shown in laboratory studies, but proved more difficult to demonstrate in the field. Bee populations were halved near fields treated with the pesticides, and hives produced fewer queens. More robust bee species used to pollinate crops were not affected, however.

Neonicotinoids have been banned in Britain for two years but are still widely used in the United States.

Read More:

• Bees May Become Addicted To Nicotine-Like Pesticides, Study Finds (The Guardian)
• New Studies Find That Bees Actually Want To Eat The Pesticides That Hurt Them (Washington Post)
• Bees Prefer Foods Containing Neonicotinoid Pesticides (Nature)