Abstract
Simple SummaryThere may be high amounts of fluvalinate residue in bee colonies and products. It is usually used to control the varroa parasite on bees, but it may lead to adverse effects on both larvae and adults. In this study, we found that feeding with fluvalinate at a dose of 40 ng/larva could result in declined brood-capping, pupation, and eclosion rates. In addition, the olfactory associative behavior of adult bees was impaired after they were treated with a sublethal dose of 0.004 ng/larva in the larval stage. These findings suggest that a sublethal dose of fluvalinate given to larvae has a huge negative effect on adult honey bee workers, affecting their subsequent associative ability. It may further lead the entire colony to a detrimental developmental trend.Fluvalinate is a widely used insecticide for varroa mite control in apiculture. While most beekeepers have ignored the effects of low levels of fluvalinate on bees, this study aims to demonstrate its effects at very low concentrations. We first used fluvalinate doses ranging from 0.4 to 400 ng/larva to monitor the capping, pupation, and emergence rates of larval bees. Second, we used the honey bees’ proboscis extension reflex reaction to test the learning ability of adult bees that were exposed to fluvalinate doses from 0.004 to 4 ng/larva in the larval stage. The brood-capped rate of larvae decreased dramatically when the dose was increased to 40 ng/larva. Although no significant effect was observed on brood-capping, pupation, and eclosion rates with a dose of 4 ng/larva, we found that the olfactory associative behavior of adult bees was impaired when they were treated with sublethal doses from 0.004 to 4 ng/larva in the larval stage. These findings suggest that a sublethal dose of fluvalinate given to larvae affects the subsequent associative ability of adult honey bee workers. Thus, a very low dose may affect the survival conditions of the entire colony.
Highlights
Exposure of honey bees (Apis mellifera) to various environmental pesticides when they are collecting nectar and pollen represents a serious problem [1–3]
0.1% DMSO had no significant effect on the brood-capping, pupation, and eclosion rates compared to the unfed control group (Table 1)
We suggest that a very low dose of fluvalinate could modulate the development of honey bee larvae, resulting in impaired Proboscis Extension Reflex (PER)
Summary
Exposure of honey bees (Apis mellifera) to various environmental pesticides when they are collecting nectar and pollen represents a serious problem [1–3]. Honey bees can be affected by contaminated nectar and pollen that are brought back to the hive from foraging on flowers that have been sprayed with pesticides. They are affected by applications of medicine aimed at controlling the widespread honey bee parasite varroa mite (Varroa destructor), which has been closely linked to colony losses and the mortality of honey bees [4–6]. Some medicines or pesticides are applied inside bee colonies by the beekeepers themselves. Among these in-hive pesticides, fluvalinate is one the agents used worldwide to control V. destructor in honey bee colonies [7]. The potential routes of exposure and corresponding responses of honey bee larvae have not been thoroughly studied [24]
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