Chronic exposure to the pesticide flupyradifurone can lead to premature onset of foraging in honeybees Apis mellifera

Please always quote using this URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-212769
  • 1.Honeybees Apis mellifera and other pollinating insects suffer from pesticides in agricultural landscapes. Flupyradifurone is the active ingredient of a novel pesticide by the name of ‘Sivanto’, introduced by Bayer AG (Crop Science Division, Monheim am Rhein, Germany). It is recommended against sucking insects and marketed as ‘harmless’ to honeybees. Flupyradifurone binds to nicotinergic acetylcholine receptors like neonicotinoids, but it has a different mode of action. So far, little is known on how sublethal flupyradifurone doses affect1.Honeybees Apis mellifera and other pollinating insects suffer from pesticides in agricultural landscapes. Flupyradifurone is the active ingredient of a novel pesticide by the name of ‘Sivanto’, introduced by Bayer AG (Crop Science Division, Monheim am Rhein, Germany). It is recommended against sucking insects and marketed as ‘harmless’ to honeybees. Flupyradifurone binds to nicotinergic acetylcholine receptors like neonicotinoids, but it has a different mode of action. So far, little is known on how sublethal flupyradifurone doses affect honeybees. 2. We chronically applied a sublethal and field‐realistic concentration of flupyradifurone to test for long‐term effects on flight behaviour using radio‐frequency identification. We examined haematoxylin/eosin‐stained brains of flupyradifurone‐treated bees to investigate possible changes in brain morphology and brain damage. 3. A field‐realistic flupyradifurone dose of approximately 1.0 μg/bee/day significantly increased mortality. Pesticide‐treated bees initiated foraging earlier than control bees. No morphological damage in the brain was observed. 4. Synthesis and applications. The early onset of foraging induced by a chronical application of flupyradifurone could be disadvantageous for honeybee colonies, reducing the period of in‐hive tasks and life expectancy of individuals. Radio‐frequency identification technology is a valuable tool for studying pesticide effects on lifetime foraging behaviour of insects.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author: Hannah HesselbachORCiD, Johannes Seeger, Felix Schilcher, Markus AnkenbrandORCiD, Ricarda ScheinerORCiD
URN:urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-212769
Document Type:Journal article
Faculties:Fakultät für Biologie / Theodor-Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften
Language:English
Parent Title (English):Journal of Applied Ecology
Year of Completion:2020
Volume:57
Issue:3
Pagenumber:609-618
Source:Journal of Applied Ecology, 2020;57(3):609–618. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13555
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13555
Dewey Decimal Classification:5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 57 Biowissenschaften; Biologie / 570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie
Tag:flight behaviour; flupyradifurone; foraging; histology; honeybee; insecticide; mortality; radiofrequency identification
Release Date:2020/10/06
Licence (German):License LogoCC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung 4.0 International