Chronic exposure to neonicotinoids reduces honey bee health near corn crops

Experiments linking neonicotinoids and declining bee health have been criticized for not simulating realistic exposure. Here we quantified the duration and magnitude of neonicotinoid exposure in Canada's corn-growing regions and used these data to design realistic experiments to investigate the...

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Veröffentlicht in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Jg. 356; H. 6345; S. 1395
Hauptverfasser: Tsvetkov, N, Samson-Robert, O, Sood, K, Patel, H S, Malena, D A, Gajiwala, P H, Maciukiewicz, P, Fournier, V, Zayed, A
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: United States 30.06.2017
Schlagworte:
Animals
Bees - drug effects
Bees - growth & development
Canada
Colony Collapse
Crops, Agricultural
Insecticides - toxicity
Larva - drug effects
Nitro Compounds - toxicity
Pollen - chemistry
Zea mays
ISSN:1095-9203, 1095-9203
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Zusammenfassung:Experiments linking neonicotinoids and declining bee health have been criticized for not simulating realistic exposure. Here we quantified the duration and magnitude of neonicotinoid exposure in Canada's corn-growing regions and used these data to design realistic experiments to investigate the effect of such insecticides on honey bees. Colonies near corn were naturally exposed to neonicotinoids for up to 4 months-the majority of the honey bee's active season. Realistic experiments showed that neonicotinoids increased worker mortality and were associated with declines in social immunity and increased queenlessness over time. We also discovered that the acute toxicity of neonicotinoids to honey bees doubles in the presence of a commonly encountered fungicide. Our work demonstrates that field-realistic exposure to neonicotinoids can reduce honey bee health in corn-growing regions.
Bibliographie:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
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ISSN:1095-9203
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aam7470