scholarly journals Effects of neonicotinoid insecticide exposure and monofloral diet on nest-founding bumblebee queens

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1880) ◽  
pp. 20180761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mar Leza ◽  
Kristal M. Watrous ◽  
Jade Bratu ◽  
S. Hollis Woodard
Keyword(s):  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Initiation Phase ◽  
Colony Cycle ◽  
Neonicotinoid Insecticide ◽  
Monofloral Pollen ◽  
Bumblebee Pollination ◽  
Nest Initiation

Bumblebees are among the world's most important groups of pollinating insects in natural and agricultural ecosystems. Each spring, queen bumblebees emerge from overwintering and initiate new nests, which ultimately give rise to workers and new reproductives later in the season. Nest initiation and survival are thus key drivers of both bumblebee pollination services and population dynamics. We performed the first laboratory experiment with the model bumblebee species Bombus impatiens that explores how early nesting success is impacted by the effects of temporary or more sustained exposure to sublethal levels of a neonicotinoid-type insecticide (imidacloprid at 5 ppb in nectar) and by reliance on a monofloral pollen diet, two factors that have been previously implicated in bumblebee decline. We found that queens exhibited increased mortality and dramatically reduced activity levels when exposed to imidacloprid, as well as delayed nest initiation and lower brood numbers in the nest, but partially recovered from these effects when they only received early, temporary exposure. The effects of pollen diet on individual queen- and colony-level responses were overshadowed by effects of the insecticide, although a monofloral pollen diet alone was sufficient to negatively impact brood production. These findings speak to the sensitivity of queen bumblebees during the nest initiation phase of the colony cycle, with implications for how queens and their young nests are uniquely impacted by exposure to threats such as pesticide exposure and foraging habitat unsuitability.

scholarly journals Population decline in a ground-nesting solitary squash bee (Eucera pruinosa) following exposure to a neonicotinoid insecticide treated crop (Cucurbita pepo)

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Susan Willis Chan ◽  
Nigel E. Raine
Keyword(s):  
Cucurbita Pepo ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Sublethal Effects ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Foliar Spray ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Seed Coating ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Neonicotinoid Insecticide ◽  
Ground Nesting

AbstractInsect pollinators are threatened by multiple environmental stressors, including pesticide exposure. Despite being important pollinators, solitary ground-nesting bees are inadequately represented by pesticide risk assessments reliant almost exclusively on honeybee ecotoxicology. Here we evaluate the effects of realistic exposure via squash crops treated with systemic insecticides (Admire-imidacloprid soil application, FarMore FI400-thiamethoxam seed-coating, or Coragen-chlorantraniliprole foliar spray) for a ground-nesting bee species (Hoary squash bee, Eucera pruinosa) in a 3-year semi-field experiment. Hoary squash bees provide essential pollination services to pumpkin and squash crops and commonly nest within cropping areas increasing their risk of pesticide exposure from soil, nectar, and pollen. When exposed to a crop treated at planting with soil-applied imidacloprid, these bees initiated 85% fewer nests, left 5.3 times more pollen unharvested, and produced 89% fewer offspring than untreated controls. No measurable impacts on bees from exposure to squash treated with thiamethoxam as a seed-coating or foliage sprayed with chlorantraniliprole were found. Our results demonstrate important sublethal effects of field-realistic exposure to a soil-applied neonicotinoid (imidacloprid) on bee behaviour and reproductive success. Soil must be considered a potential route of pesticide exposure in risk assessments, and restrictions on soil-applied insecticides may be justified, to mitigate impacts on ground-nesting solitary bee populations and the crop pollination services they provide.

scholarly journals Sublethal concentrations of clothianidin affect honey bee colony growth and hive CO2 concentration

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
William G. Meikle ◽  
John J. Adamczyk ◽  
Milagra Weiss ◽  
Janie Ross ◽  
Chris Werle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Colony Growth ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Weight Losses ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Bee Colonies

AbstractThe effects of agricultural pesticide exposure upon honey bee colonies is of increasing interest to beekeepers and researchers, and the impact of neonicotinoid pesticides in particular has come under intense scrutiny. To explore potential colony-level effects of a neonicotinoid pesticide at field-relevant concentrations, honey bee colonies were fed 5- and 20-ppb concentrations of clothianidin in sugar syrup while control colonies were fed unadulterated syrup. Two experiments were conducted in successive years at the same site in southern Arizona, and one in the high rainfall environment of Mississippi. Across all three experiments, adult bee masses were about 21% lower among colonies fed 20-ppb clothianidin than the untreated control group, but no effects of treatment on brood production were observed. Average daily hive weight losses per day in the 5-ppb clothianidin colonies were about 39% lower post-treatment than in the 20-ppb clothianidin colonies, indicating lower consumption and/or better foraging, but the dry weights of newly-emerged adult bees were on average 6–7% lower in the 5-ppb group compared to the other groups, suggesting a nutritional problem in the 5-ppb group. Internal hive CO2 concentration was higher on average in colonies fed 20-ppb clothianidin, which could have resulted from greater CO2 production and/or reduced ventilating activity. Hive temperature average and daily variability were not affected by clothianidin exposure but did differ significantly among trials. Clothianidin was found to be, like imidacloprid, highly stable in honey in the hive environment over several months.

scholarly journals Cholinesterase Activity on Palm Oil Plantation Workers in Parenggean, Kotawaringin Timur

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-75
Author(s):  
Suratno Suratno ◽  
Dwi Purbayanti ◽  
Hildayanti Hildayanti
Keyword(s):  
Palm Oil ◽  
Cholinesterase Activity ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Female Workers ◽  
Photometric Technique ◽  
Acetylcholinesterase Enzyme

Use of pesticide is widely used in palm oil plantation industry. Pesticide exposure can affect pesticide-spraying workers' health. This study aimed to determine acetylcholinesterase enzyme (AChE) activity levels and identify of poisoning risk factors on pesticide-spraying workers in a palm oil plantation Comanditaire Venootschap (CV) unit in Parenggeran, Kotawaringin Timur, Central Kalimantan. The cross-sectional study design was conducted to examine cholinesterase enzyme activity levels on 15 pesticide-spraying workers. The cholinesterase levels were measured using an automated photometric technique. This study found that all workers have normal cholinesterase activity levels. The average cholinesterase activity levels were 7065,36 U/L and 6528 U/L, respectively for male and female workers. It was also found that two male workers cholinesterase activity levels of using glyphosate pesticide were almost close to the lower limit of the normal levels range, 4720 U/L, and 4958 U/L, respectively. Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the pesticide spraying and maximum time allowed of pesticide spraying in a day have to be considered as an important rule to avoid excessive pesticide exposure.

scholarly journals Negative effects of pesticides on wild bee communities can be buffered by landscape context

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1809) ◽  
pp. 20150299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mia G. Park ◽  
E. J. Blitzer ◽  
Jason Gibbs ◽  
John E. Losey ◽  
Bryan N. Danforth
Keyword(s):  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Landscape Context ◽  
Pesticide Use ◽  
Natural Areas ◽  
Wild Bees ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Wild Bee ◽  
Bee Community ◽  
Bee Communities

Wild bee communities provide underappreciated but critical agricultural pollination services. Given predicted global shortages in pollination services, managing agroecosystems to support thriving wild bee communities is, therefore, central to ensuring sustainable food production. Benefits of natural (including semi-natural) habitat for wild bee abundance and diversity on farms are well documented. By contrast, few studies have examined toxicity of pesticides on wild bees, let alone effects of farm-level pesticide exposure on entire bee communities. Whether beneficial natural areas could mediate effects of harmful pesticides on wild bees is also unknown. Here, we assess the effect of conventional pesticide use on the wild bee community visiting apple ( Malus domestica ) within a gradient of percentage natural area in the landscape. Wild bee community abundance and species richness decreased linearly with increasing pesticide use in orchards one year after application; however, pesticide effects on wild bees were buffered by increasing proportion of natural habitat in the surrounding landscape. A significant contribution of fungicides to observed pesticide effects suggests deleterious properties of a class of pesticides that was, until recently, considered benign to bees. Our results demonstrate extended benefits of natural areas for wild pollinators and highlight the importance of considering the landscape context when weighing up the costs of pest management on crop pollination services.

scholarly journals Neonicotinoid pesticide exposure impairs crop pollination services provided by bumblebees

Nature ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 528 (7583) ◽  
pp. 548-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dara A. Stanley ◽  
Michael P. D. Garratt ◽  
Jennifer B. Wickens ◽  
Victoria J. Wickens ◽  
Simon G. Potts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Crop Pollination ◽  
Pollination Services

scholarly journals Neonicotinoid exposure affects foraging, nesting, and reproductive success of ground-nesting solitary bees

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Susan Willis Chan ◽  
Nigel E. Raine
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Sublethal Effects ◽  
Environmental Stressors ◽  
Crop Pollination ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Risk Of Exposure ◽  
First Time ◽  
Ground Nesting

Despite their indispensable role in food production1,2, insect pollinators are threatened by multiple environmental stressors, including pesticide exposure2-4. Although honeybees are important, most pollinating insect species are wild, solitary, ground-nesting bees1,4-6 that are inadequately represented by honeybee-centric regulatory pesticide risk assessment frameworks7,8. Here, for the first time, we evaluate the effects of realistic exposure to systemic insecticides (imidacloprid, thiamethoxam or chlorantraniliprole) on a ground-nesting bee species in a semi-field experiment. Hoary squash bees (Eucera (Peponapis) pruinosa) provide essential pollination services to North American pumpkin and squash crops9-14 and commonly nest within cropping areas10, placing them at risk of exposure to pesticides in soil8,10, nectar and pollen15,16. Hoary squash bees exposed to an imidacloprid-treated crop initiated 85% fewer nests, left 84% more pollen unharvested, and produced 89% fewer offspring than untreated controls. We found no measurable impact on squash bees from exposure to thiamethoxam- or chlorantraniliprole-treated crops. Our results demonstrate important sublethal effects of field-realistic exposure to a soil-applied neonicotinoid (imidacloprid) on the behaviour and reproductive success of a ground-nesting solitary bee. To prevent potential declines in ground-nesting bee populations and associated impoverishment of crop pollination services, soil must be considered a possible route of pesticide exposure for bees, and restrictions on soil-applied insecticides may be justified.

scholarly journals Sub-lethal pesticide exposure erases colour vision memory and affects flower constancy in foraging honey bees

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Mayack ◽  
Tuğçe Rükün ◽  
Neslim Ercan ◽  
Ece Canko ◽  
Bihter Avşar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
Colour Vision ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Flower Colour ◽  
Memory Retention ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Flower Constancy ◽  
Foraging Preferences ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Neonicotinoid Pesticides

Abstract Neonicotinoid pesticide use has increased around the world despite accumulating evidence of their potential detrimental sub-lethal effects on the behaviour and physiology of bees, and its contribution to the global decline in bee health. Whilst flower colour is considered as one of the most important signals for foraging honey bees, the effects of pesticides on colour vision and memory retention remain unknown. We trained free flying foragers to an unscented artificial flower patch presenting yellow flower stimuli to investigate if sub-lethal levels of imidacloprid would disrupt the acquired association made between flower colour and food reward. We found that for concentrations higher than 4% of LD50 foraging honey bees no longer preferentially visited the yellow flowers and bees reverted back to baseline foraging preferences for blue flowers, with a complete loss of flower constancy. Higher pesticide dosages also resulted in a significant decrease in CaMKII and CREB gene expression, revealing a plausible mechanism to explain the disruption of bee foraging performance. Within important bee pollinators, colour vision is highly conserved and essential for efficient nutrition collection and survival. We thus show that to maintain efficient pollination services bees require environments free from neonicotinoid pesticides.

scholarly journals Combined Toxicity of Insecticides and Fungicides Applied to California Almond Orchards to Honey Bee Larvae and Adults

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Wade ◽  
Chia-Hua Lin ◽  
Colin Kurkul ◽  
Erzsébet Ravasz Regan ◽  
Reed M. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Larval Development ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Larval Mortality ◽  
Combined Toxicity ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Almond Orchards ◽  
Honey Bee Larvae

Beekeepers providing pollination services for California almond orchards have reported observing dead or malformed brood during and immediately after almond bloom—effects that they attribute to pesticide exposure. The objective of this study was to test commonly used insecticides and fungicides during almond bloom on honey bee larval development in a laboratory bioassay. In vitro rearing of worker honey bee larvae was performed to test the effect of three insecticides (chlorantraniliprole, diflubenzuron, and methoxyfenozide) and three fungicides (propiconazole, iprodione, and a mixture of boscalid-pyraclostrobin), applied alone or in insecticide-fungicide combinations, on larval development. Young worker larvae were fed diets contaminated with active ingredients at concentration ratios simulating a tank-mix at the maximum label rate. Overall, larvae receiving insecticide and insecticide-fungicide combinations were less likely to survive to adulthood when compared to the control or fungicide-only treatments. The insecticide chlorantraniliprole increased larval mortality when combined with the fungicides propiconazole or iprodione, but not alone; the chlorantraniliprole-propiconazole combination was also found to be highly toxic to adult workers treated topically. Diflubenzuron generally increased larval mortality, but no synergistic effect was observed when combined with fungicides. Neither methoxyfenozide nor any methoxyfenozide-fungicide combination increased mortality. Exposure to insecticides applied during almond bloom has the potential to harm honey bees and this effect may, in certain instances, be more damaging when insecticides are applied in combination with fungicides.

Annual variation in survival and reproduction of the primitively eusocial sweat bee Halictus ligatus (Hymenoptera: Halictidae)

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 933-941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam H. Richards ◽  
Laurence Packer
Keyword(s):  
Survival Rates ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Sweat Bee ◽  
Geographic Scale ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Rainy Weather ◽  
Survival And Reproduction ◽  
Halictus Ligatus ◽  
Primitively Eusocial ◽  
Nest Initiation

We studied a nesting aggregation of the primitively eusocial sweat bee Halictus ligatus near Victoria in southern Ontario during the summers of 1984, 1990, and 1991. Differences in local weather patterns from year to year had marked effects on bee demography and behaviour, belying previous conclusions about "typical" social organization in this aggregation. In 1990, comparatively cool, rainy weather resulted in high nest-failure and low brood-survival rates, while in 1984 and 1991, relatively dry, warm weather had the opposite effect. In 1984 and 1990, spring nest initiation was synchronous and the emergence periods of the first (worker) and second (reproductive) broods were temporally distinct. In 1991, exceedingly warm spring weather caused asynchrony in the timing of nest initiation, accelerated brood and colony development, and continuous brood production. In 1984 and 1990, a few males were produced in the first brood but most were produced in the second brood several weeks later. In 1991, continuous brood production meant that production of males represented the transition between production of workers and of gynes (second-brood females). Patterns of demographic and social variation exhibited by H. ligatus at Victoria parallel those observed on a continent-wide geographic scale. This suggests that primitively eusocial sweat bees maintain a variety of reproductive options, adjusting their social behaviour in response to local environmental conditions.

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