Chronic exposure to a common biopesticide is detrimental to individuals and colonies of the paper wasp Polistes versicolor

Biopesticides and insect pollinators: Detrimental effects, outdated guidelines, and future directions

“…In a recent review (Brock et al, 2021), it has been highlighted that also aculeate wasps both solitary and social can play an active role as pollinators, apart from their function as natural agents of control of other insect pests (Brock et al, 2021), and research on the potential impact of biopesticides has started to focus also on these species. In fact, it has very recently been demonstrated that chronic exposure to azadirachtin affects both individuals and colonies of the tropical paper wasp Polistes versicolor, increasing individual and colony mortality and impairing wasp reproduction (Teixeira et al, 2022). Given the important ecosystem services provided by these taxa, it would be essential to pay attention to the adverse effects that biopesticides could have on these organisms.…”