Phil Bourjaily1 day ago

Are Pesticides Harming Deer Fawn Survival? (msn.com)

A new Minnesota DNR study shows levels of neonicotinoid pesticides present in deer taken by hunters across Minnesota. Known as “neonics,” the pesticides are commonly used to control insects on corn and soybean fields in the Midwest.© Provided by Field and StreamA whitetail fawn, on the move.

In 2019, Minnesota hunters donated 800 spleens to aid the study. Early results just released show 61 percent of those spleens contained measurable levels of neonicotinoids. Researchers were surprised to find that deer from all regions of the state, including those in remote forested lands, showed the presence of neonicotinoids in their systems, even though the chemicals are applied primarily in the state’s agricultural regions.

The Minnesota study follows a South Dakota study that showed captive deer dosed with higher concentrations of neonicotinoids in their systems were stunted and had shorter…