A Common Pesticide Decreases Foraging Success and Survival in Honey Bees

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 336; no. 6079; pp. 348 - 350
• Main Authors: Henry, Mickaël, Béguin, Maxime, Requier, Fabrice, Rollin, Orianne, Odoux, Jean-François, Aupinel, Pierrick, Aptel, Jean, Tchamitchian, Sylvie, Decourtye, Axel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 20.04.2012; The American Association for the Advancement of Science; American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Subjects: Anatomy; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Apiculture; Apis mellifera; Applied ecology; Bees; Bees - drug effects; Bees - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Colonies; Colony Collapse; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on protozoa and invertebrates; Environmental Sciences; Feeding Behavior; Female; Foraging; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Homing; Homing Behavior - drug effects; Honey bee colonies; Honey bees; Insect colonies; Insect pathology; Insect pests; Insecticides - toxicity; Male; Mortality; Neonicotinoids; Nitro Compounds - toxicity; Oxazines - toxicity; Pesticides; Population Dynamics; Radio Frequency Identification Device; Risk Factors; Success; Thiazoles - toxicity; Insecticide; Toxicity; Insecta; Pesticides; Apidae; Social insect; Foraging behavior; Apis mellifera; Homing; Neonicotinoid; Sublethal dose; Hive; Apoidea; Arthropoda; Colony collapse disorder; Hymenoptera; Invertebrata; Aculeata; Radio frequency identification; abeille domestique
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1215039

Nonlethal exposure of honey bees to thiamethoxam (neonicotinoid systemic pesticide) causes high mortality due to homing failure at levels that could put a colony at risk of collapse. Simulated exposure events on free-ranging foragers labeled with a radio-frequency identification tag suggest that homing is impaired by thiamethoxam intoxication. These experiments offer new insights into the consequences of common neonicotinoid pesticides used worldwide.