COMMON pesticides could be wiping out bee colonies by causing pollen-gathering insects to lose their way home, research suggests.

Two studies provide strong evidence that pesticides sprayed on farmers' fields threaten bumblebees and honeybees.

One team of British scientists showed bumblebee colony growth slowed after exposure to a chemical.

Another group of French researchers tracked foraging honeybees and found that another pesticide tripled their chances of dying away from the hive.

The chemical was thought to disrupt the bees' homing systems.

Insecticides called neonicotinoids may fuel Colony Collapse Disorder.

The phenomenon, marked by the disappearance of honeybee colonies, is a problem in northern hemisphere countries. Bumblebees are at risk.

Professor Dave Goulson, from the University of Stirling, who led the British study, said: "Some bumblebee species have declined hugely. For example, in North America several bumblebee species which used to be common have more or less disappeared from the entire continent. In the UK, three species have gone extinct."

Friends of the Earth called the findings "very significant".

Paul de Zylva, head of the group's nature and ecosystems programme, said: "The bee is a cherished icon of the British countryside and our gardens and is the farmer's friend that helps pollinate our food crops, so we cannot afford further decline.

"We now need the Government to look seriously at the emerging evidence from here and other countries and consider whether neonicotinoid pesticides should continue to be used freely in the UK."