PORTLAND, Ore. — State investigators found lethal levels of a banned insecticide in the bees found dead last month in Portland.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture on Friday said the pesticide was responsible for several bee die-offs in June.
The Oregonian reported investigators collected 400 dead bees, although witnesses said the total death toll could have been larger. Officials said the bees had been feeding on the nectar of linden trees in or near a park.
The pesticide found in the bees is imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid that scientists have linked to other bee deaths.
Oregon banned use of the chemical on linden trees in February, following several bee die-offs. Investigators said property managers told them the chemical applications that killed the bees in June happened before the ban took effect.
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