The exposure of honey bees (Apis mellifera; Hymenoptera: Apidae) to pesticides: Room for improvement in research

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 587-588; pp. 423 - 438
• Main Authors: Benuszak, Johanna, Laurent, Marion, Chauzat, Marie-Pierre
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.06.2017; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acaricide; Active substance; Air; Animal biology; Animals; Bees; Bees - physiology; Ecology; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollutants; Environmental Pollutants - toxicity; Life Sciences; Metabolites; Pesticides; Pesticides - toxicity; Plant protection products; Pollination; Standardisation; Veterinary medicine and animal Health; Waxes; Standardisation; Acaricide; Air; Metabolites; Active substance; Plant protection products; Active substances
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.062

Losses of honey bees have been repeatedly reported from many places worldwide. The widespread use of synthetic pesticides has led to concerns regarding their environmental fate and their effects on pollinators. Based on a standardised review, we report the use of a wide variety of honey bee matrices and sampling methods in the scientific papers studying pesticide exposure. Matrices such as beeswax and beebread were very little analysed despite their capacities for long-term pesticide storage. Moreover, bioavailability and transfer between in-hive matrices were poorly understood and explored. Many pesticides were studied but interactions between molecules or with other stressors were lacking. Sampling methods, targeted matrices and units of measure should have been, to some extent, standardised between publications to ease comparison and cross checking. Data on honey bee exposure to pesticides would have also benefit from the use of commercial formulations in experiments instead of active ingredients, with a special assessment of co-formulants (quantitative exposure and effects). Finally, the air matrix within the colony must be explored in order to complete current knowledge on honey bee pesticide exposure. [Display omitted] •PEO and PRISMA standardised methods used for bibliographic analysis.•264 articles analysed to formulated recommendations for scientific experimentations.•Sampling methods, matrices and units should be better described and harmonized to some extent.•Beeswax and beebread should be more studied.•Interactions between stresses and bioavailability of pesticides should be further investigated.