How pesticides or fertilizers can disrupt chemical and electrical signals for bees

Agrochemicals disrupt bees by jamming the sensory signals they need to survive.

Fertilizers and pesticides alter a flower’s natural electric field, creating “noise” that prevents bees from detecting these floral signatures. Internally, pesticides like neonicotinoids overstimulate brain receptors, impairing the bee’s ability to process chemical cues, learn, and navigate. This interference leads to memory loss and a breakdown in the “waggle dance” communication. Essentially, these chemicals blind bees to the electrical and chemical maps of their environment, making foraging inefficient and threatening colony health 

Citation:

Clarke et al., 2013, Sensory Ecology: Thinking electrically.