Are pesticide residues in honey related to oilseed rape treatments?

Karise, Reet; Raimets, Risto; Bartkevičs, Vadims; Pugajeva, Iveta; Pihlik, Priit; Keres, I.; Williams, I. H.; Viinalass, H.; Mänd, Marika

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.09.013

Cited by 52 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…We assume that, due to this fact, pollen shows a many-fold increase in residue levels towards nectar, as the surfactant possibly enriches the active ingredient in the lipophilic matrix of pollen grains. Furthermore, we are in line with the results provided by Thompson et al [ 7 ], Karise et al [ 9 ], and Rubio et al [ 10 ], but our results contradict those of Berg et al [ 8 ], who found many-fold higher glyphosate concentrations in honey than we and the others did. It seems reasonable that, in this particular study [ 8 ], honey bees must have been exposed to unusually high levels of GBH, which could be a result of misapplication or misuse of the product.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…In Canada, Thompson et al [ 7 ] found the herbicide in 197 of 200 samples of honey that they examined, with a maximum concentration slightly below the European MRL. To date, studies reporting field-relevant GBH residues in bee products are scarce, and, so far, this particular case in Canada was higher than what was reported in the limited number of studies done over the last five years in other countries [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. By reason of the abovementioned utilization, GBH is usually not applied during flowering, and yet field crops represent a potential source for honey bee exposure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…Accordingly, the product was directly mixed into 5 L of feeding syrup (Apiinvert, Südzucker GmbH, Mannheim, Germany) to achieve the desired concentrations. The treatment was comprised of two feeding regimes derived by residue data reported in nectar and honey [ 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. We wanted to cover the range of 5 to 150 mg/kg in order to represent field-realistic exposure, resulting in groups T1 having a measured concentration of 4.8 mg a.i./kg and T2 having a measured concentration of 137.6 mg a.i./kg feeding syrup.…”

Section: Experiments 1: Brood Development and Survivalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the first methods to be described was published quite recently [ 10 ] and is not yet integrated with any sort of multi-method suitable for quick screening purposes. We currently see residues ranging from 0.02 to 120 mg/kg in honey but cannot say how pervasive GBH are in other bee-relevant matrices [ 8 , 9 , 10 ], partly because test methods have been lacking. In light of these global findings, we assume that colonies are not only exposed acutely but rather chronically, to GBH.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Chronic High Glyphosate Exposure Delays Individual Worker Bee (Apis mellifera L.) Development under Field Conditions

Odemer

Alkassab

Bischoff

et al. 2020

Insects

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The ongoing debate about glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) and their implications for beneficial arthropods gives rise to controversy. This research was carried out to cover possible sublethal GBH effects on the brood and colony development, adult survival, and overwintering success of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) under field conditions. Residues in bee relevant matrices, such as nectar, pollen, and plants, were additionally measured. To address these questions, we adopted four independent study approaches. For brood effects and survival, we orally exposed mini-hives housed in the “Kieler mating-nuc” system to sublethal concentrations of 4.8 mg glyphosate/kg (T1, low) and 137.6 mg glyphosate/kg (T2, high) over a period of one brood cycle (21 days). Brood development and colony conditions were assessed after a modified OECD method (No. 75). For adult survival, we weighed and labeled freshly emerged workers from control and exposed colonies and introduced them into non-contaminated mini-hives to monitor their life span for 25 consecutive days. The results from these experiments showed a trivial effect of GBH on colony conditions and the survival of individual workers, even though the hatching weight was reduced in T2. The brood termination rate (BTR) in the T2 treatment, however, was more than doubled (49.84%) when compared to the control (22.11%) or T1 (20.69%). This was surprising as T2 colonies gained similar weight and similar numbers of bees per colony compared to the control, indicating an equal performance. Obviously, the brood development in T2 was not “terminated” as expected by the OECD method terminology, but rather “slowed down” for an unknown period of time. In light of these findings, we suggest that chronic high GBH exposure is capable of significantly delaying worker brood development, while no further detrimental effects seem to appear at the colony level. Against this background, we discuss additional results and possible consequences of GBH for honey bee health.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Experiments 1: Brood Development and Survivalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Chronic High Glyphosate Exposure Delays Individual Worker Bee (Apis mellifera L.) Development under Field Conditions

Odemer

Alkassab

Bischoff

et al. 2020

Insects

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“…The findings revealed no adverse effects on these insects (Heimbach et al, 2016;Rolke et al, 2016;Schmuck, Lewis, 2016;Sterk et al, 2016). A similar study conducted in Estonia in 2013-2014 by Karise et al (2017) found that the concentration of all pesticide residues was lower than the lethal dose for honey bees. Nevertheless, it was found that honey was contaminated not only with the pesticides used for oilseed rape.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Effects of winter and spring rape seed treatment with neonicotinoids on honey bees

Zemeckis

Dautartė

Kretavičius

et al. 2019

Zemdirbyste-Agriculture

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Potential impacts of neonicotinoids (thiamethoxam and clothianidin) on honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) were explored in 2016-2018. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of thiamethoxam and clothianidin used for seed treatment of winter and spring rape (Brassica napus L.) on honey bees under Lithuanian conditions and to quantify the levels of neonicotinoids in the dust released during the sowing operation. Honey bee colonies were established for further field testing and sample collection. The samples of nectar, pollen and bee bread were analysed for neonicotinoid residues. The potential impact of the seed treatment with thiamethoxam and clothianidin on the normally developed bee colonies was investigated in 2017 and 2018. The obtained findings suggest that when sowing neonicotinoid-treated winter and spring rape seed in a dry soil, the concentrations of neonicotinoids in the dust released during the sowing operation were three times as high as the maximum permitted limit (0.05 mg kg -1 ) set by the European Committee for bee products. The residue levels of neonicotinoids detected in the honey, pollen and bee bread samples were minimal (±0.01 ng g -1 ). However, no evidence was found to indicate the negative effects of the nicotinoid-seed treatment on the development of bee colonies, wintering, well-being, and honey production.Please use the following format when citing the article: Zemeckis R., Dautartė A., Kretavičius J., Droždz J. 2019. Effects of winter and spring rape seed treatment with neonicotinoids on honey bees. Zemdirbyste-Agriculture, 106 (2): 173-182.

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Bumblebees can be Exposed to the Herbicide Glyphosate when Foraging

Thompson

Smith

White

et al. 2022

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Herbicides are the most widely used pesticides globally. Although used to control weeds, they may also pose a risk to bee health. A key knowledge gap is how bees could be exposed to herbicides in the environment, including whether they may forage on treated plants before they die. We used a choice test to determine if bumblebees would forage on plants treated with glyphosate at two time periods after treatment. We also determined whether glyphosate and its degradation product aminomethylphosphonic acid were present as residues in the pollen collected by the bees while foraging. Finally, we explored if floral resources (nectar and pollen) remained present in plants after herbicide treatment. In general bees indiscriminately foraged on both plants treated with glyphosate and controls, showing no avoidance of treated plants. Although the time spent on individual flowers was slightly lower on glyphosate treated plants, this did not affect the bees' choice overall. We found that floral resources remained present in plants for at least 5 days after lethal treatment with glyphosate and that glyphosate residues were present in pollen for at least 70 h posttreatment. Our results suggest that bees could be exposed to herbicide in the environment, both topically and orally, by foraging on plants in the period between herbicide treatment and death. Identifying this route of exposure is a first step in understanding the risks of herbicides to bees. The effects of herbicides on bees themselves are uncertain and warrant further investigation to allow full risk assessment of these compounds to pollinating insects.

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Are pesticide residues in honey related to oilseed rape treatments?

Cited by 52 publications

References 23 publications

Chronic High Glyphosate Exposure Delays Individual Worker Bee (Apis mellifera L.) Development under Field Conditions

Chronic High Glyphosate Exposure Delays Individual Worker Bee (Apis mellifera L.) Development under Field Conditions

Effects of winter and spring rape seed treatment with neonicotinoids on honey bees

Bumblebees can be Exposed to the Herbicide Glyphosate when Foraging

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