Honeybees (Apis mellifera) as a biological barrier for contamination of honey by environmental toxic metals

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the transfer of toxic metals from honeybee workers (Apis mellifera L.) to bee honey in relation to the ecological state of the environment. The materials of the study consisted of samples of honeybee bodies and varietal honeys taken from the same apiary located in three areas: R1-urbanized (16), R2-ecologically clean (16) and R3-industrialized (15) of south-eastern Poland. The contents of 14 elements in all tested samples, including toxic metals (Cd, Pb, Hg, Al, Ni, Tl) as well as bioelements (K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu, Se), were analysed by the ICP-OES method with prior microwave mineralization. The concentrations of the majority of the studied elements, excluding aluminum and lead, were significantly higher in bee bodies than in honey samples (P < 0.05). The pollution of bee bodies by toxic metals was dependent on the environmental cleanliness, and the most pollution was observed in the industrialized area. The bee body was the most effective barrier for Cd and Tl transfer to the honey, while the level of Ni was similar in both tested materials. The Al concentration was significantly higher in honey than bee bodies (14.81 ± 24.69 and 6.51 ± 5.83 mg kg, respectively), which suggests the possibility of secondary contamination of honey. The greatest sensitivity to heavy metal pollution was observed in honeydew honey compared to nectar honeys (P < 0.05). It was proved for the first time that bees work as biofilters for toxic metals and prevent honey contamination.

Effectiveness of Different Sample Treatments for the Elemental Characterization of Bees and Beehive Products

“…In fact, several living organisms, known as biomonitors, can accumulate toxic elements, allowing the monitoring of pollutants concentrations in the environment for integrated measurements over time [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. The use of apis mellifera and beehive products for biomonitoring studies has been widely investigated [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ] and reviewed [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Honeybees and the associated matrices are often considered as efficient sentinels for environmental biomonitoring [ 7 , 17 ].…”

“…Flame atomic absorption spectrometry (F-AAS) has been often employed for the low-cost and rapid determination of high concentrations of metals [ 21 , 22 , 28 ]. To control the quality of honey and other beehive products in terms of contamination by heavy metals, many sensitive techniques are required, including graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry (GF-AAS) [ 17 , 19 ], electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET-AAS) [ 29 , 30 ], microwave plasma technique atomic emission spectrometry (MP-AES) [ 31 ], inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) [ 14 , 16 , 24 , 32 , 33 , 34 ], and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) [ 14 , 18 , 20 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ]. In addition, other atomic techniques, such as atomic analyzer mercury (AMA), hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS) and cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CV-AFS), have been employed in environmental studies for the determination of Hg, As and Se [ 40 , 41 ].…”

Changes in the bioelement content of summer and winter western honeybees (Apis mellifera) induced by Nosema ceranae infection

“…Current research on the bioelement composition of bee bodies have focused on using this information for ecological monitoring or as an assessment for the contamination of honeybee products [ 8 – 13 ]. Importantly, no studies have described changes in the host body bioelement composition due to N .…”

Biomonitoring of Atmospheric Aerosol with the use of Apis mellifera and Pleurozium schreberi

“…Other studies indicate the possibility of the use of bees and honey as effective bioindicators in assessment of environment pollution. Nevertheless, the content of heavy metals below limit of quantification in honey may be caused by the fact that bees, by accumulating toxic metals, form a natural, biological barrier, which protects honey from pollution by analytes [36].…”