Att bespruta eller inte bespruta?- En studie om växtskyddsmedels påverkan på pollinatörer i svenska jordgubbsodlingar

Sammanfattning: This study investigated how pollinators are affected by plant protection products (PPP), what type of PPPs strawberry farmers used and what knowledge they had about these products. To investigate this, a literature review and a survey was conducted. The questionnaire was sent to 70 Swedish strawberry farmers of which 11% participated in the study. The results of the survey shows that all (6) strawberry farmers who use PPPs spray their crops with fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. The study showed that 50% of the participants believed that they had enough information about the impact of PPPs on pollinators. The literature study found that there is a knowledge gap in previous research on how pollinators are affected by PPPs. There are only a few previous studies that have investigated how PPPs approved for use on Swedish strawberry farms affect pollinators. Based on the literature review, it can be concluded that the toxicity of PPPs depends on the substance used, the species exposed to it and the crop to which the substance is applied. Several of the previous studies showed that bees are negatively affected by exposure to the fungicide Amistar and herbicides containing glyphosate. These substances affect bees foraging and bacteria in the bees' gut, which can lead to increased mortality. It was also noted that there are no previous studies on cocktail effects of the studied substances. In terms of knowledge about PPPs, it is difficult to conclude whether strawberry farmers have enough information because each farmer had a different idea of what is enough. The results of this study can be used to increase the understanding of environmental risks for chemicals to the general public and farmers, but also contributes to the achievement of the national environmental objectives.