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She also raised concerns over the environmental impact because honeybees in excessive numbers could outcompete bumblebees, solitary bees and butterflies.

“It could also be, as is the case with the honeybee, that we seem to share their social structure in certain ways.”

Currently, the only insect included in the EPA’s required pesticide testing is the adult honeybee.

It said a previous survey had recorded bumblebees and honeybees between Christmas and New Year at locations across the UK, including the Highlands.

The study reveals that current pesticide risk assessments, which primarily use honeybees as test subjects, fail to account for the unique vulnerabilities of wild bees that nest in soil.