Pesticides for Apicultural and/or Agricultural Application Found in Belgian Honey Bee Wax Combs

Ravoet, Jorgen; Reybroeck, Wim; Graaf, Dirk C. de

doi:10.1007/s00128-015-1511-y

Cited by 95 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Furthermore, in West Africa, honey bees mainly collect nectar during the dry season when the usage of pesticides is limited. Finally pesticides show more affinity to beeswax compared to honey (Ravoet et al 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discovery of Lake Sinai virus and an unusual strain of acute bee paralysis virus in West African apiaries

et al. 2015

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

-Samples of bees and honey from 101 apiaries were collected in the West African Republic of Benin. Visual inspection revealed high Varroa destructor and Aethina tumida infestations and low Oplostomus fuligineus infestations. A pathogen screen based on bacterial/fungal cultures or microscopic examinations revealed the absence of American and European foulbrood, chalkbrood disease, acariosis and nosemosis. However, 13 bee samples (15.47 %) were found to be infected by viruses as determined by PCR-based techniques. Acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV; 8.33 %) and Black queen cell virus (4.76 %) were the most common. From the former we found a strain with an unusual molecular signature of the capsid region, which was taxonomically positioned between ABPV and Israeli acute paralysis virus. We also discovered Lake Sinai virus (LSV; 3.57 %) for the first time in Africa. Eight honey samples collected in regions where cotton was cultivated were subjected to multi-residue and quality control analyses.honey bees / diseases / parasites / viruses / pesticide residue

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discovery of Lake Sinai virus and an unusual strain of acute bee paralysis virus in West African apiaries

et al. 2015

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Miticides originating from beekeeping practices, as well as veterinary drugs (e.g., farm uses), can also contribute to the composition of the xenobiotic complex. Such level of exposure has been confirmed by numerous studies using residue analysis of bees and hive matrices (for examples, see Bogdanov 2006;Chauzat et al 2009;Mullin et al 2010;Lambert et al 2013;Ravoet et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Modulation of pesticide response in honeybees

Poquet¹,

Vidau²,

Alaux³

2016

Apidologie

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

-Honeybee exposure to pesticides is widely accepted, but the role they play in impacting bee health remains controversial. The development of risk assessment procedures is notably a difficult task due to the variability of responses observed for a single pesticide at a specific dose. Indeed, honeybees, during most of their lifetime, are exposed to fluctuating environmental conditions (e.g., pathogen pressure, resource availability, climatic conditions) and can go through important physiological changes within a few days (e.g., behavioral maturation) or even a day (e.g., circadian clock), which are all factors that can affect the bee response to pesticides. Integrating the range of variability in conditions experienced by bees is relevant to honeybee toxicology and will contribute to a better assessment of their susceptibility to pesticides. The aim of this review is therefore to provide empirical evidence of how co-exposure to stressors, and environmental and endogenous factors modulate the honeybee response to pesticide.Apis mellifera / pesticide toxicity / ecotoxicology / toxicodynamics / toxicokinetics / co-exposure / risk assessment

show abstract

“…Contaminants from the environment can reach the raw materials of bee products and can be transported to the hive as a consequence of bees' physiological activities (34)(35). It is also known that pesticides and acaricides used in regular beekeeping practices, or other fat soluble and persistent substances, can easily accumulate within (24). Recently, Reddy et al (36) concluded that honeycomb biomass is an environmentally friendly and attractive option for removing heavy metal ions from water or wastewater.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are very few studies on the heavy metal contamination of beeswax (24), and data on its influence on comb foundation quality, as well as the correlations with the rearing and biological characteristics of honeybee brood in contaminated combs are insufficient. It is not known how effective the production of casting comb foundations with a long sedimentation and cooling period is in reducing heavy metal concentrations.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Variations in lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury concentrations during honeybee wax processing using casting technology

Gajger

Kosanović

Bilandžić

et al. 2016

Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Beeswax foundations are a necessary material in intensive modern beekeeping. Heavy metals can accumulate in these foundations for decades, as it is a common beekeeping practice to recycle wax. Beeswax samples were analysed using GFAAS for As, Cd, Pb, and Hg concentrations during the production of beeswax foundations using casting technology with a prolonged cooling and sedimentation phase. Significant differences were determined in the concentrations of As, Cd, Pb (p<0.01, all), and Hg (p<0.05) between the three levels of wax in a double-walled steel casting container and comb foundations (CF) during the processing stage. Concentrations (mg kg ) of the examined metals in comb foundations as the final product ranged as follows: As 0.01-0.88; Cd 1.26-3.55; Pb 82.5-171, and Hg 0.29-1.46. All examined element concentrations demonstrated similar distribution and ratio in different layers, ranging from the lowest concentrations in layers from which wax material is used for comb foundations as the final product, to the highest concentrations in sedimented layer, which represents waste. The obtained results suggest that the described method could effectively eliminate a significant amount of heavy metals from the initial material used for the production of new beeswax foundations. KEY WORDS: arsenic; beeswax; cadmium; comb foundations; lead; mercuryBeeswax is a natural honeybee product. It is an extremely complex mixture consisting mainly of esters of higher fatty acids, alcohols, hydrocarbons, proteins, and other minor substances (1-2). Beeswax is primarily used in beekeeping to produce comb foundations but also in the chemical, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food industries. In hives, it is vital for the honeybee colony, as it is a construction material for comb cells where nectar and honey are stored (3). Successful comb management is crucial for beekeeping practice and quality, and the sensory properties of beeswax depend greatly on production methods (4). The production or processing of beeswax comb foundations has been described elsewhere (5).Wax, along with other apian products, can be a useful tool for collecting information about environmental contamination with toxic metals (6-10). Honey could be considered a primary bio-indicator of pollution and therefore used to assess the presence of metals and pesticides in soil, water, and plants (11). Beeswax combs represent a sink or an outlet for many environmental contaminants and, when in the hive for toxins as well, because of a specific lipid-based chemical composition (3).As, Cd, Pb, and Hg are the main toxic heavy metals in environmental pollution that can contaminate honeybee products, primarily nectar and honeydew. Due to the order and social activity of foragers and house bees, combs and the inside of the hives can also be contaminated (12). The presence of these metals depends on the environmental pollution of air, water, and soil (13,14) and may cause a wide range of toxic effects, including gastrointestinal, muscular, reproductive, neurological or behaviour...

show abstract

Pesticides for Apicultural and/or Agricultural Application Found in Belgian Honey Bee Wax Combs

Cited by 95 publications

References 21 publications

Discovery of Lake Sinai virus and an unusual strain of acute bee paralysis virus in West African apiaries

Discovery of Lake Sinai virus and an unusual strain of acute bee paralysis virus in West African apiaries

Modulation of pesticide response in honeybees

Variations in lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury concentrations during honeybee wax processing using casting technology

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About