A scientific note on seasonal levels of pesticide residues in honey bee worker tissues

Boyle, Natalie K.; Sheppard, Walter S.

doi:10.1007/s13592-016-0455-5

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The combined effect of thymol and imidacloprid on honey bees is worrying. Miticides, neonicotinoids, and many other types of pesticides are found together in hives located in agricultural landscapes (Tosi et al 2018) and are known to accumulate in pollen, honey, and wax (Mullin et al 2010;Boyle and Sheppard 2017). Our finding highlights the need for more studies on the effect of combined pesticide exposure on the health and productivity of bee colonies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

The miticide thymol in combination with trace levels of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid reduces visual learning performance in honey bees (Apis mellifera)

et al. 2020

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Despite growing concerns over the impacts of agricultural pesticides on honey bee health, miticides (a group of pesticides used within hives to kill bee parasites) have received little attention. We know very little about how miticides might affect bee cognition, particularly in interaction with other known stressors, such as crop insecticides. Visual learning is essential for foraging bees to find their way to flowers, recognize them, and fly back to the nest. Using a standardized aversive visual conditioning assay, we tested how field exposure to three pesticides affects visual learning in European honey bees (Apis mellifera ). Our pesticides were two common miticides, thymol in the commercial formulation Apiguard® and tau-fluvalinate in the formulation Apistan® and one neonicotinoid, imidacloprid. We found no effect of miticides alone, nor of field-relevant doses of imidacloprid alone, but bees exposed to both thymol and imidacloprid showed reduced performance in the visual learning assay.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

The miticide thymol in combination with trace levels of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid reduces visual learning performance in honey bees (Apis mellifera)

et al. 2020

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“…Other factors that may contribute to this strong seasonality may be environmental stressors, such as forage availability and diversity (e.g. 52,53 ), and a build-up of exposure to chemicals throughout the season 54 , which may lead to a trade-off in resistance to DWV via the bees’ immune system 55 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and population genetics of the emerging honey bee pathogen DWV in Chinese apiculture

Diao

Yang

Zhao³

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Honey bees are agriculturally important, both as pollinators and by providing products such as honey. The sustainability of beekeeping is at risk through factors of global change such as habitat loss, as well as through the spread of infectious diseases. In China and other parts of Asia, beekeepers rely both on native Apis cerana and non-native Apis mellifera, putting bee populations at particular risk of disease emergence from multi-host pathogens. Indeed, two important honey bee parasites have emerged from East Asian honey bees, the mite Varroa destructor and the microsporidian Nosema ceranae. As V. destructor vectors viral bee diseases, we investigated whether another key bee pathogen, Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), may also have originated in East Asian honey bee populations. We use a large-scale survey of apiaries across china to investigate the prevalence and seasonality of DWV in managed A. mellifera and A. cerana colonies, showing that DWV-A prevalence was higher in A. mellifera, with a seasonal spike in prevalence in autumn and winter. Using phylogenetic and population genetic approaches, we show that while China and East Asian DWV isolates show comparatively high levels of genetic diversity, these bee populations are not a source for the current global DWV epidemic.

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“…In adult bees, which have additional exposure routes including direct contact with the Apistan strips and oral exposure to wax (Figure ), the bioaccumulation of fluvalinate was significantly affected by the interaction of the treatment and length of time it was applied to the hive. Boyle and Sheppard () demonstrated similar results, with a 60% increase in fluvalinate in adult bees exposed to fluvalinate‐contaminated comb over winter. This finding highlights the importance of following the manufacturer's recommendations on application time for miticide use in hives, because even within that time frame there was a significant effect on fluvalinate concentration in adult bees.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…Widespread and uncontrolled dispersal of fluvalinate through a honey bee hive means that larvae and hive products such as honey, bee bread (a stored mixture of pollen and honey), and royal jelly are unintentionally exposed (Figure 1). At the manufacturer's recommended dose and duration of use (2 strips/ brood chamber for 6-8 wk), fluvalinate-impregnated strips seem to have no negative effects on adult honey bees, as stated by the manufacturer and others (Haarmann et al 2002;Apistan 2014;Boyle and Sheppard 2017). However, the additional exposure route of fluvalinate from contaminated wax has not been considered, and others have found negative effects on hives due to fluvalinate exposure (Mullin et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

An Examination of Exposure Routes of Fluvalinate to Larval and Adult Honey Bees ( Apis mellifera )

Fulton

Hartz

Reeve

et al. 2019

Environ Toxicol Chem

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Fluvalinate has been extensively used in the United States to combat honey bee colony loss due to Varroa destructor mites. Our objectives were to investigate the extent of fluvalinate contamination in commercially available wax and to define exposure pathways to larval and adult honey bees. All the commercial wax tested contained elevated fluvalinate concentrations, indicating a need for regulation of the sources of wax being rendered for resale. Based on the negative logarithm of the partition coefficient between wax and pollen (–0.54), it is evident that fluvalinate has the potential to actively transfer from the contaminated wax into hive matrices. This was confirmed by adding fluvalinate‐dosed wax, fluvalinate‐impregnated strips, or a combination of the 2 to hives. Larvae and adult bees were checked for fluvalinate exposure using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. Larvae had detectable concentrations of fluvalinate in all treatments. Bioaccumulation in adult bees was significantly affected by the interaction between treatment type and application time. In other words, residues from hives that only had fluvalinate‐dosed wax were comparable to residues in hives that were actively being treated, suggesting that transfer of fluvalinate from wax into adult bees was an important exposure route. In conclusion, exposure of fluvalinate from contaminated wax and treatment strips to honey bees needs to be considered when the risk for colony loss in hives is being evaluated. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:1356–1363. © 2019 SETAC

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A scientific note on seasonal levels of pesticide residues in honey bee worker tissues

Cited by 11 publications

References 20 publications

The miticide thymol in combination with trace levels of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid reduces visual learning performance in honey bees (Apis mellifera)

The miticide thymol in combination with trace levels of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid reduces visual learning performance in honey bees (Apis mellifera)

Prevalence and population genetics of the emerging honey bee pathogen DWV in Chinese apiculture

An Examination of Exposure Routes of Fluvalinate to Larval and Adult Honey Bees ( Apis mellifera )

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