Bee Colony Collapse https://greenmedinfo.com/category/keywords/Bee%20Colony%20Collapse en Oral and topical exposure to glyphosate in herbicide formulation impact the gut microbiota and survival rates of honey bees. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/oral-and-topical-exposure-glyphosate-herbicide-formulation-impact-gut-microbio PMID:  Appl Environ Microbiol. 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10. PMID: 32651208 Abstract Title:  Oral and topical exposure to glyphosate in herbicide formulation impact the gut microbiota and survival rates of honey bees. Abstract:  Honey bees are important agricultural pollinators that rely on a specific gut microbiota for regulation of immune system and defense against pathogens. Environmental stressors that affect the bee gut microbial community, such as antibiotics and glyphosate, can indirectly compromise bee health. Most of the experiments demonstrating these effects have been done under laboratory conditions with pure chemicals. Here, we investigated the oral and topical effects of variable concentrations of glyphosate in herbicide formulation on the honey bee gut microbiota and health under laboratory and field conditions. In all of these conditions, the formulation, dissolved in sucrose syrup or water, affected the abundance of beneficial bacteria in the bee gut in a dose-dependent way. Mark-recapture experiments also demonstrated that bees exposed to the formulation were more likely to disappear from the colony, once reintroduced after exposure. Although no visible effects were observed for hives exposed to the formulation in field experiments, challenge trials with the pathogenperformed under laboratory conditions, revealed that bees from hives exposed to the formulation exhibited increased mortality compared to bees from control hives. In the field experiments, glyphosate was detected in honey collected from exposed hives, showing that worker bees transfer xenobiotics to the hive, thereby extending exposure and increasing the chances of exposure to recently emerged bees. These findings show that different routes of exposure to glyphosate-based herbicide can affect honey bees and their gut microbiota.The honey bee gut microbial community plays a vital role in immune response and defense against opportunistic pathogens. Environmental stressors, such as the herbicide glyphosate, may affect the gut microbiota, with negative consequences for bee health. Glyphosate is usually sprayed in the field mixed with adjuvants, which enhance herbicidal activity. These adjuvants may also enhance undesired effects in non-targeted organisms. This seems to be the case for glyphosate-based herbicide on honey bees. As we show in this study, oral exposure to either pure glyphosate or glyphosate in commercial herbicide formulation perturbs the gut microbiota of honey bees, and topical exposure to the formulation also has a direct effect on honey bee health, increasing mortality in a dose-dependent way and leaving surviving bees with a perturbed microbiota. Understanding the effects of herbicide formulations on honey bees may help to protect these important agricultural pollinators. <p><a href="https://greenmedinfo.com/article/oral-and-topical-exposure-glyphosate-herbicide-formulation-impact-gut-microbio" target="_blank">read more</a></p> https://greenmedinfo.com/article/oral-and-topical-exposure-glyphosate-herbicide-formulation-impact-gut-microbio#comments Glyphosate Toxicity Glyphosate Bee Colony Collapse Insect Study Thu, 13 Aug 2020 23:10:02 +0000 greenmedinfo 225226 at https://greenmedinfo.com 79 different pesticides and metabolites were observed in pollen and 56 were observed in wax samples. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/79-different-pesticides-and-metabolites-were-observed-pollen-and-56-were-obser PMID:  Insects. 2019 Jan 8 ;10(1). Epub 2019 Jan 8. PMID: 30626027 Abstract Title:  Honey Bee Exposure to Pesticides: A Four-Year Nationwide Study. Abstract:  Pollinators, including honey bees, are responsible for the successful reproduction of more than 87% of flowering plant species: they are thus vital to ecosystem health and agricultural services world-wide. To investigate honey bee exposure to pesticides, 168 pollen samples and 142 wax comb samples were collected from colonies within six stationary apiaries in six U.S. states. These samples were analyzed for evidence of pesticides. Samples were taken bi-weekly when each colony was active. Each apiary included thirty colonies, of which five randomly chosen colonies in each apiary were sampled for pollen. The pollen samples were separately pooled by apiary. There were a total of 714 detections in the collected pollen and 1008 detections in collected wax. A total of 91 different compounds were detected: of these, 79 different pesticides and metabolites were observed in the pollen and 56 were observed in the wax. In all years, insecticides were detected more frequently than were fungicides or herbicides: one third of the detected pesticides were found only in pollen. The mean (standard deviation (SD)) number of detections per pooled pollen sample varied by location from 1.1 (1.1) to 8.7 (2.1). Ten different modes of action were found across all four years and nine additional modes of action occurred in only one year. If synergy in toxicological response is a function of simultaneous occurrence of multiple distinct modes of action, then a high frequency of potential synergies was found in pollen and wax-comb samples. Because only pooled pollen samples were obtained from each apiary, and these from only five colonies per apiary per year, more data are needed to adequately evaluate the differences in pesticide exposure risk to honey bees among colonies in the same apiary and by year and location. <p><a href="https://greenmedinfo.com/article/79-different-pesticides-and-metabolites-were-observed-pollen-and-56-were-obser" target="_blank">read more</a></p> https://greenmedinfo.com/article/79-different-pesticides-and-metabolites-were-observed-pollen-and-56-were-obser#comments Pesticide Toxicity Pesticides Bee Colony Collapse Synergistic Toxicity In Vitro Study Fri, 25 Jan 2019 18:12:42 +0000 greenmedinfo 178305 at https://greenmedinfo.com A neonicotinoid pesticide impairs foraging, but not learning, in free-flying bumblebees. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/neonicotinoid-pesticide-impairs-foraging-not-learning-free-flying-bumblebees PMID:  Sci Rep. 2019 Mar 18 ;9(1):4764. Epub 2019 Mar 18. PMID: 30886154 Abstract Title:  A neonicotinoid pesticide impairs foraging, but not learning, in free-flying bumblebees. Abstract:  Neonicotinoids are widely-used pesticides implicated in the decline of bees, known to have sub-lethal effects on bees&#039; foraging and colony performance. One proposed mechanism for these negative effects is impairment to bees&#039; ability to learn floral associations. However, the effects of neonicotinoids on learning performance have largely been addressed using a single protocol, where immobilized bees learn an association based on a single sensory modality. We thus have an incomplete understanding of how these pesticides affect bee learning in more naturalistic foraging scenarios. We carried out the first free-foraging study into the effects of acute exposure of a neonicotinoid (imidacloprid) on bumblebees&#039; (Bombus impatiens) ability to learn associations with visual stimuli. We uncovered dose-dependent detrimental effects on motivation to initiate foraging, amount of nectar collected, and initiation of subsequent foraging bouts. However, we did not find any impairment to bees&#039; ability to learn visual associations. While not precluding the possibility that other forms of learning are impaired, our findings suggest that some of the major effects of acute neonicotinoid exposure on foraging performance may be due to motivational and/or sensory impairments. In light of these findings, we discuss more broadly how pesticide effects on pollinator cognition might be studied. <p><a href="https://greenmedinfo.com/article/neonicotinoid-pesticide-impairs-foraging-not-learning-free-flying-bumblebees" target="_blank">read more</a></p> https://greenmedinfo.com/article/neonicotinoid-pesticide-impairs-foraging-not-learning-free-flying-bumblebees#comments Pesticide Toxicity Pesticides Bee Colony Collapse Insect Study Fri, 22 Mar 2019 21:20:25 +0000 greenmedinfo 181880 at https://greenmedinfo.com Bumblebee pupae contain high levels of aluminium. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/bumblebee-pupae-contain-high-levels-aluminium n/a PMID:  PLoS One. 2015 ;10(6):e0127665. Epub 2015 Jun 4. PMID: 26042788 Abstract Title:  Bumblebee pupae contain high levels of aluminium. Abstract:  The causes of declines in bees and other pollinators remains an on-going debate. While recent attention has focussed upon pesticides, other environmental pollutants have largely been ignored. Aluminium is the most significant environmental contaminant of recent times and we speculated that it could be a factor in pollinator decline. Herein we have measured the content of aluminium in bumblebee pupae taken from naturally foraging colonies in the UK. Individual pupae were acid-digested in a microwave oven and their aluminium content determined using transversely heated graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Pupae were heavily contaminated with aluminium giving values between 13.4 and 193.4μg/g dry wt. and a mean (SD) value of 51.0 (33.0) μg/g dry wt. for the 72 pupae tested. Mean aluminium content was shown to be a significant negative predictor of average pupal weight in colonies. While no other statistically significant relationships were found relating aluminium to bee or colonyhealth, the actual content of aluminium in pupae are extremely high and demonstrate significant exposure to aluminium. Bees rely heavily on cognitive function and aluminium is a known neurotoxin with links, for example, to Alzheimer&#039;s disease in humans. The significant contamination of bumblebee pupae by aluminium raises the intriguing spectre of cognitive dysfunction playing a role in their population decline. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/bumblebee-pupae-contain-high-levels-aluminium#comments Aluminum Toxicity Aluminum Bee Colony Collapse Insect Study Mon, 23 Sep 2019 01:31:21 +0000 greenmedinfo 197021 at https://greenmedinfo.com Clothianidin had very high oral toxicity to bees. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/clothianidin-had-very-high-oral-toxicity-bees PMID:  J Econ Entomol. 2018 Jun 8. Epub 2018 Jun 8. PMID: 29889221 Abstract Title:  Responses of Honey Bees to Lethal and Sublethal Doses of Formulated Clothianidin Alone and Mixtures. Abstract:  The widespread use of neonicotinoid insecticides has sparked concern over the toxicity risk to honey bees (Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae)). In this study, feeding treatments with the clothianidin formulation at 2.6 ppb (residue concentration) or its binary mixtures with five representative pesticides (classes) did not influence on adult survivorship, but all treatments caused significantly lower body weight than controls. Most binary mixtures at residue levels showed minor or no interaction on body weight loss, and synergistic interaction was detected only from the mixture of clothianidin +λ-cyhalothrin. Chlorpyrifos alone and the mixture of clothianidin + chlorpyrifos significantly suppressed esterase (EST) activity, while most treatments of individual pesticides and mixtures had no effect on EST and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities. However, ingestion of clothianidin at 2.6 ppb significantly enhanced P450 oxidase activity by 19%. The LC50 of formulated clothianidin was estimated at 0.53 ppm active ingredient, which is equivalent to 25.4 ng clothianidin per bee (LD50) based on the average sugar consumption of 24 µl per bee per day. In addition to mortality, ingestion of clothianidin at LC50 significantly reduced bee body weight by 12%. P450 activities were also significantly induced at 24 and 48 h in clothianidin-treated bees, while no significant difference was found in GST and EST activities. Further examinations revealed that the expression of an importantCYP9q1 detoxification gene was significantly induced by clothianidin. Thus, data consistently indicated that P450s were involved in clothianidin detoxification in honey bees. Although the honey bee population in Stoneville (MS, United States) had sixfold lower susceptibility than other reported populations, clothianidin had very high oral toxicity to bees. <p><a href="https://greenmedinfo.com/article/clothianidin-had-very-high-oral-toxicity-bees" target="_blank">read more</a></p> https://greenmedinfo.com/article/clothianidin-had-very-high-oral-toxicity-bees#comments Pesticide Toxicity Pesticides Bee Colony Collapse Insect Study Sun, 24 Jun 2018 05:44:40 +0000 greenmedinfo 166246 at https://greenmedinfo.com Compound and dose-dependent effects of two neonicotinoid pesticides on honey bee. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/compound-and-dose-dependent-effects-two-neonicotinoid-pesticides-honey-bee PMID:  Insects. 2019 Jan 8 ;10(1). Epub 2019 Jan 8. PMID: 30626039 Abstract Title:  Compound and Dose-Dependent Effects of Two Neonicotinoid Pesticides on Honey Bee () Metabolic Physiology. Abstract:  Use of neonicotinoid pesticides is now ubiquitous, and consequently non-targeted arthropods are exposed to their residues at sub-lethal doses. Exposure to these neurotoxins may be a major contributor to poor honey bee colony health. Few studies have explored how sub lethal exposure to neonicotinoids affects honey bee metabolic physiology, including nutritional and energetic homeostasis, both of which are important for maintaining colony health. Reported here are results from a study of chronic oral exposure of honey bees to two sub lethal concentrations of clothianidin and imidacloprid. Neonicotinoids altered important aspects of honey bee nutritional and metabolic physiology in a compound and dose-dependent manner; both compounds at low doses reduced honey bee body weight. Low-dose clothianidin exposure resulted in bees having protein, lipids, carbohydrates, and glycogen levels similar to newly emerged bees. High-dose clothianidin exposure lowered lipids and glycogen content of bees. High-dose imidacloprid exposure resulted in bees having depressed metabolic rate. Low-dose imidacloprid exposure resulted in bees consuming low and high levels of protein and carbohydrate rich foods, respectively. Results suggest neonicotinoids interfere with honey bee endocrine neurophysiological pathways. Compound and dose-dependent effects might represent respective chemical structural differences determining an observed effect, and thresholds of compound effects on honey bee physiology. <p><a href="https://greenmedinfo.com/article/compound-and-dose-dependent-effects-two-neonicotinoid-pesticides-honey-bee" target="_blank">read more</a></p> https://greenmedinfo.com/article/compound-and-dose-dependent-effects-two-neonicotinoid-pesticides-honey-bee#comments Pesticide Toxicity Pesticides Bee Colony Collapse Insect Study Fri, 25 Jan 2019 08:52:36 +0000 greenmedinfo 178300 at https://greenmedinfo.com Detrimental interactions of neonicotinoid pesticide exposure and bumblebee immunity. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/detrimental-interactions-neonicotinoid-pesticide-exposure-and-bumblebee-immuni PMID:  J Exp Zool A Ecol Integr Physiol. 2017 Jun ;327(5):273-283. Epub 2017 Aug 1. PMID: 29356442 Abstract Title:  Detrimental interactions of neonicotinoid pesticide exposure and bumblebee immunity. Abstract:  Pesticides are well known to have a number of ecological effects. However, it is only now becoming understood that sublethal exposures may have effects on nontarget insects of conservation concern through interactions with immunity, thus increasing detrimental impacts in the presence of pathogens. Pesticides and pathogens are suggested to have played a role in recent declines of several wild bee pollinators. Compromised immunity from exposure to widely used neonicotinoids has been demonstrated in honeybees, but further research on interactions between neonicotinoids and immunity in other important bees is lacking. In this study, adult workers of the bumblebee Bombus impatiens received 6-day pulses of either low (0.7 ppb) or high (7 ppb) field realistic doses of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid prior to assaying immunity and survival following a nonpathogenic immune challenge. High-dose imidacloprid exposure reduces constitutive levels of phenoloxidase, an enzyme involved in melanization. Hemolymph antimicrobial activity initially increases in all groups following an immune challenge, but while heightened activity is maintained in unexposed and low imidacloprid dose groups, it is not maintained in the high exposure dose bees, even though exposure had ceased 6 days prior. Additionally, imidacloprid exposure followed by an immune challenge significantly decreased survival probability relative to control bees and those only immune challenged or imidacloprid exposed. A temporal lag for immune modulation and combinatorial effects on survival suggest that resource-based trade-offs may, in part, contribute to the detrimental interactions. These interactions could have health consequences for pollinators facing multiple stresses of sublethal neonicotinoid exposure and pathogens. <p><a href="https://greenmedinfo.com/article/detrimental-interactions-neonicotinoid-pesticide-exposure-and-bumblebee-immuni" target="_blank">read more</a></p> https://greenmedinfo.com/article/detrimental-interactions-neonicotinoid-pesticide-exposure-and-bumblebee-immuni#comments Bee Colony Collapse Pesticide Toxicity Pesticides Bee Colony Collapse Insect Study Wed, 24 Jan 2018 03:11:50 +0000 greenmedinfo 158729 at https://greenmedinfo.com Electromagnetic radiation poses a significant threat to pollinators. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/electromagnetic-radiation-poses-significant-threat-pollinators n/a PMID:  Sci Total Environ. 2019 Aug 7 ;695:133833. Epub 2019 Aug 7. PMID: 31419678 Abstract Title:  Risk to pollinators from anthropogenic electro-magnetic radiation (EMR): Evidence and knowledge gaps. Abstract:  Worldwide urbanisation and use of mobile and wireless technologies (5G, Internet of Things) is leading to the proliferation of anthropogenic electromagnetic radiation (EMR) and campaigning voices continue to call for the risk to human health and wildlife to be recognised. Pollinators provide many benefits to nature and humankind, but face multiple anthropogenic threats. Here, we assess whether artificial light at night (ALAN) and anthropogenic radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (AREMR), such as used in wireless technologies (4G, 5G) or emitted from power lines, represent an additional and growing threat to pollinators. A lack of high quality scientific studies means that knowledge of the risk to pollinators from anthropogenic EMR is either inconclusive, unresolved, or only partly established. A handful of studies provide evidence that ALAN can alter pollinator communities, pollination and fruit set. Laboratory experiments provide some, albeit variable, evidence that the honey bee Apis mellifera and other invertebrates can detect EMR, potentially using it for orientation or navigation, but they do not provide evidence that AREMR affects insect behaviour in ecosystems. Scientifically robust evidence of AREMR impacts on abundance or diversity of pollinators (or other invertebrates) are limited to a single study reporting positive and negative effects depending on the pollinator group and geographical location. Therefore, whether anthropogenic EMR (ALAN or AREMR) poses a significant threat to insect pollinators and the benefits they provide to ecosystems and humanity remains to be established. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/electromagnetic-radiation-poses-significant-threat-pollinators#comments Electromagnetic Field Harms Electromagnetic Radiation Bee Colony Collapse Insect Study Environmental Tue, 01 Oct 2019 03:09:03 +0000 greenmedinfo 197719 at https://greenmedinfo.com Enhancement of chronic bee paralysis virus levels in honeybees acute exposed to imidacloprid. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/enhancement-chronic-bee-paralysis-virus-levels-honeybees-acute-exposed-imidacl PMID:  Sci Total Environ. 2018 Feb 27 ;630:487-494. Epub 2018 Feb 27. PMID: 29499530 Abstract Title:  Enhancement of chronic bee paralysis virus levels in honeybees acute exposed to imidacloprid: A Chinese case study. Abstract:  Though honeybee populations have not yet been reported to be largely lost in China, many stressors that affect the health of honeybees have been confirmed. Honeybees inevitably come into contact with environmental stressors that are not intended to target honeybees, such as pesticides. Although large-scale losses of honeybee colonies are thought to be associated with viruses, these viruses usually lead to covert infections and to not cause acute damage if the bees do not encounter outside stressors. To reveal the potential relationship between acute pesticides and viruses, we applied different doses of imidacloprid to adult bees that were primarily infected with low levels (4.3×10genome copies) of chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) to observe whether the acute oral toxicity of imidacloprid was able to elevate the level of CBPV. Here, we found that the titer of CBPV was significantly elevated in adult bees after 96h of acute treatment with imidacloprid at the highest dose 66.9ng/bee compared with other treatments and controls. Our study provides clear evidence that exposure to acute high doses of imidacloprid in honeybees persistently infected by CBPV can exert a remarkably negative effect on honeybee survival. These results imply that acute environmental stressors might be one of the major accelerators causing rapid viral replication, which may progress to cause mass proliferation and dissemination and lead to colony decline. The present study will be useful for better understanding the harm caused by this pesticide, especially regarding how honeybee tolerance to the viral infection might be altered by acute pesticide exposure. <p><a href="https://greenmedinfo.com/article/enhancement-chronic-bee-paralysis-virus-levels-honeybees-acute-exposed-imidacl" target="_blank">read more</a></p> https://greenmedinfo.com/article/enhancement-chronic-bee-paralysis-virus-levels-honeybees-acute-exposed-imidacl#comments Pesticide Toxicity Pesticides Bee Colony Collapse Insect Study Mon, 05 Mar 2018 16:52:21 +0000 greenmedinfo 160749 at https://greenmedinfo.com Glyphosate impairs aversive learning in bumblebees . https://greenmedinfo.com/article/glyphosate-impairs-aversive-learning-bumblebees PMID:  Sci Total Environ. 2023 Jul 13 ;898:165527. Epub 2023 Jul 13. PMID: 37451452 Abstract Title:  Glyphosate impairs aversive learning in bumblebees. Abstract:  Agrochemicals represent prominent anthropogenic stressors contributing to the ongoing global insect decline. While their impact is generally assessed in terms of mortality rates, non-lethal effects on fitness are equally important to insect conservation. Glyphosate, a commonly used herbicide, is toxic to many animal species, and thought to impact a range of physiological functions. In this study, we investigate the impact of long-term exposure to glyphosate on locomotion, phototaxis and learning abilities in bumblebees, using a fully automated high-throughput assay. We find that glyphosate exposure had a very slight and transient impact on locomotion, while leaving the phototactic drive unaffected. Glyphosate exposure also reduced attraction towards UV light when blue was given as an alternative and, most strikingly, impaired learning of aversive stimuli. Thus, glyphosate had specific actions on sensory and cognitive processes. These non-lethal perceptual and cognitive impairments likely represent a significant obstacle to foraging and predator avoidance for wild bumblebees exposed to glyphosate. Similar effects in other species could contribute to a widespread reduction in foraging efficiency across ecosystems, driven by the large-scale application of this herbicide. The high-throughput paradigm presented in this study can be adapted to investigate sublethal effects of other agrochemicals on bumblebees or other important pollinator species, opening up a critical new avenue for the study of anthropogenic stressors. <p><a href="https://greenmedinfo.com/article/glyphosate-impairs-aversive-learning-bumblebees" target="_blank">read more</a></p> https://greenmedinfo.com/article/glyphosate-impairs-aversive-learning-bumblebees#comments Glyphosate Toxicity Glyphosate Bee Colony Collapse Insect Study Sat, 16 Sep 2023 00:38:07 +0000 greenmedinfo 280599 at https://greenmedinfo.com Glyphosate impairs collective thermoregulation in bumblebees. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/glyphosate-impairs-collective-thermoregulation-bumblebees PMID:  Science. 2022 Jun 3 ;376(6597):1122-1126. Epub 2022 Jun 2. PMID: 35653462 Abstract Title:  Glyphosate impairs collective thermoregulation in bumblebees. Abstract:  Insects are facing a multitude of anthropogenic stressors, and the recent decline in their biodiversity is threatening ecosystems and economies across the globe. We investigated the impact of glyphosate, the most commonly used herbicide worldwide, on bumblebees. Bumblebee colonies maintain their brood at high temperatures via active thermogenesis, a prerequisite for colony growth and reproduction. Using a within-colony comparative approach to examine the effects of long-term glyphosate exposure on both individual and collective thermoregulation, we found that whereas effects are weak at the level of the individual, the collective ability to maintain the necessary high brood temperatures is decreased by more than 25% during periods of resource limitation. For pollinators in our heavily stressed ecosystems, glyphosate exposure carries hidden costs that have so far been largely overlooked. <p><a href="https://greenmedinfo.com/article/glyphosate-impairs-collective-thermoregulation-bumblebees" target="_blank">read more</a></p> https://greenmedinfo.com/article/glyphosate-impairs-collective-thermoregulation-bumblebees#comments Glyphosate Toxicity Glyphosate Bee Colony Collapse Insect Study Fri, 03 Jun 2022 18:38:05 +0000 greenmedinfo 258481 at https://greenmedinfo.com Glyphosate is lethal and Cry toxins alter the development of the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/glyphosate-lethal-and-cry-toxins-alter-development-stingless-bee-melipona-quad PMID:  Environ Pollut. 2018 Dec ;243(Pt B):1854-1860. Epub 2018 Oct 3. PMID: 30408873 Abstract Title:  Glyphosate is lethal and Cry toxins alter the development of the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata. Abstract:  Brazil is the second largest producer of genetically modified plants in the world. This agricultural practice exposes native pollinators to contact and ingestion of Bacillus thuringiensis proteins (e.g. Cry toxins) from transgenic plants. Furthermore, native bees are also exposed to various herbicides applied to crops, including glyphosate. Little is known about the possible effects of glyphosate and Cry proteins on stingless bees, especially regarding exposure at an immature stage. Here, we show for the first time that glyphosate is lethal, and that Cry toxins (Cry1F, Cry2Aa) alter the development of the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata upon contamination of larval food. Glyphosate was very toxic to the bee larvae, killing all of them within only a few days of exposure. Bees treated with Cry2Aa proteins had a higher survival rate and were delayed in their development, compared to the negative controls. Those treated with the Cry1F protein also suffered delays in their development, compared to the negative controls. In conclusion, the proteins Cry1F, Cry2Aa, and the herbicide glyphosate were highly toxic to the stingless bee M. quadrifasciata, causing lethal or sublethal effects which can severely impair colony growth and viability, and reduce pollination ability. <p><a href="https://greenmedinfo.com/article/glyphosate-lethal-and-cry-toxins-alter-development-stingless-bee-melipona-quad" target="_blank">read more</a></p> https://greenmedinfo.com/article/glyphosate-lethal-and-cry-toxins-alter-development-stingless-bee-melipona-quad#comments Glyphosate Toxicity Glyphosate Bee Colony Collapse Insect Study Wed, 26 Dec 2018 22:56:12 +0000 greenmedinfo 176496 at https://greenmedinfo.com Glyphosate negatively affects associative learning processes of foragers, cognitive and sensory abilities of young hive bees. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/glyphosate-negatively-affects-associative-learning-processes-foragers-cognitiv PMID:  Insects. 2019 Oct 18 ;10(10). Epub 2019 Oct 18. PMID: 31635293 Abstract Title:  Effects of the Herbicide Glyphosate on Honey Bee Sensory and Cognitive Abilities: Individual Impairments with Implications for the Hive. Abstract:  The honeybeeis an important pollinator in both undisturbed and agricultural ecosystems. Its great versatility as an experimental model makes it an excellent proxy to evaluate the environmental impact of agrochemicals using current methodologies and procedures in environmental toxicology. The increase in agrochemical use, including those that do not target insects directly, can have deleterious effects if carried out indiscriminately. This seems to be the case of the herbicide glyphosate (GLY), the most widely used agrochemical worldwide. Its presence in honey has been reported in samples obtained from different environments. Hence, to understand its current and potential risks for this pollinator it has become essential to not only study the effects on honeybee colonies located in agricultural settings, but also its effects under laboratory conditions. Subtle deleterious effects can be detected using experimental approaches. GLY negatively affects associative learning processes of foragers, cognitive and sensory abilities of young hive bees and promotes delays in brood development. An integrated approach that considers behavior, physiology, and development allows not only to determine the effects of this agrochemical on this eusocial insect from an experimental perspective, but also to infer putative effects in disturbed environments where it is omnipresent. <p><a href="https://greenmedinfo.com/article/glyphosate-negatively-affects-associative-learning-processes-foragers-cognitiv" target="_blank">read more</a></p> https://greenmedinfo.com/article/glyphosate-negatively-affects-associative-learning-processes-foragers-cognitiv#comments Glyphosate Toxicity Glyphosate Bee Colony Collapse Review Sat, 26 Oct 2019 23:31:15 +0000 greenmedinfo 200177 at https://greenmedinfo.com Glyphosate perturbs the gut microbiota of honey bees. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/glyphosate-perturbs-gut-microbiota-honey-bees PMID:  Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 10 9 ;115(41):10305-10310. Epub 2018 Sep 24. PMID: 30249635 Abstract Title:  Glyphosate perturbs the gut microbiota of honey bees. Abstract:  Glyphosate, the primary herbicide used globally for weed control, targets the 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) enzyme in the shikimate pathway found in plants and some microorganisms. Thus, glyphosate may affect bacterial symbionts of animals living near agricultural sites, including pollinators such as bees. The honey bee gut microbiota is dominated by eight bacterial species that promote weight gain and reduce pathogen susceptibility. The gene encoding EPSPS is present in almost all sequenced genomes of bee gut bacteria, indicating that they are potentially susceptible to glyphosate. We demonstrated that the relative and absolute abundances of dominant gut microbiota species are decreased in bees exposed to glyphosate at concentrations documented in the environment. Glyphosate exposure of young workers increased mortality of bees subsequently exposed to the opportunistic pathogenMembers of the bee gut microbiota varied in susceptibility to glyphosate, largely corresponding to whether they possessed an EPSPS of class I (sensitive to glyphosate) or class II (insensitive to glyphosate). This basis for differences in sensitivity was confirmed using in vitro experiments in which the EPSPS gene from bee gut bacteria was cloned intoAll strains of the core bee gut species,, encode a sensitive class I EPSPS, and reduction inlevels was a consistent experimental result. However, somestrains appear to possess an alternative mechanism of glyphosate resistance. Thus, exposure of bees to glyphosate can perturb their beneficial gut microbiota, potentially affecting bee health and their effectiveness as pollinators. <p><a href="https://greenmedinfo.com/article/glyphosate-perturbs-gut-microbiota-honey-bees" target="_blank">read more</a></p> https://greenmedinfo.com/article/glyphosate-perturbs-gut-microbiota-honey-bees#comments Glyphosate Toxicity Glyphosate Bee Colony Collapse Insect Study Wed, 24 Oct 2018 20:35:17 +0000 greenmedinfo 172964 at https://greenmedinfo.com Imidacloprid decreases honey bee survival but does not affect the gut microbiome. https://greenmedinfo.com/article/imidacloprid-decreases-honey-bee-survival-does-not-affect-gut-microbiome PMID:  Appl Environ Microbiol. 2018 Apr 20. Epub 2018 Apr 20. PMID: 29678920 Abstract Title:  Imidacloprid decreases honey bee survival but does not affect the gut microbiome. Abstract:  Accumulating evidence suggests that pesticides have played a role in the increased rate of honeybee colony loss. One of the most commonly used pesticides in the US is the neonicotinoid imidacloprid. Although the primary mode of action of imidacloprid is the insect nervous system, it has also been shown to cause changes insects&#039; digestive physiology, and alter the microbiota oflarvae. The honey bee gut microbiome plays a major role in bee health. Although many studies have shown that imidacloprid affects honey bee behavior, its impact on the microbiome has not been fully elucidated. Here we investigated the impact of imidacloprid on the gut microbiome composition, survivorship of honey bees, and susceptibility to pathogens. Consistent with other studies, we show that imidacloprid exposure results in elevated mortality of honey bees in the hive and increases susceptibility to infection by pathogens. However, we did not find evidence that imidacloprid affects the gut bacterial community of honey bees. Our in vitro experiments demonstrated that honey bee gut bacteria can grow in the presence of imidacloprid, and we found some evidence that imidacloprid can be metabolized in the bee gut environment. However, none of the individual bee gut bacterial species tested could metabolize imidacloprid, suggesting that the observed metabolism of imidacloprid in vitro bee gut cultures is not caused by the gut bacteria. Overall, our results indicate that imidacloprid causes increased mortality in honey bees, but this mortality does not appear to be linked to the microbiome.Growing evidence suggests that the extensive use of pesticides has played a large role in the increased rate of honey bee colony loss. Despite extensive research on the effects of imidacloprid on honey bees, it is still unknown whether it impacts the community structure of the gut microbiome. Here we investigated the impact of imidacloprid on the gut microbiome composition, survivorship of honey bees, and susceptibility to pathogens. We found that exposure to imidacloprid resulted in elevated mortality of honey bees, and increased susceptibility to infection by opportunistic pathogens. However, we did not find evidence that imidacloprid affects the gut microbiome of honey bees. We found some evidence that imidacloprid can be metabolized in the bee gut environment, but because it is quickly eliminated from the bee it is unlikely that this metabolism occurs in nature. Thus, imidacloprid causes increased mortality in honey bees, but this does not appear to be linked to the microbiome. <p><a href="https://greenmedinfo.com/article/imidacloprid-decreases-honey-bee-survival-does-not-affect-gut-microbiome" target="_blank">read more</a></p> https://greenmedinfo.com/article/imidacloprid-decreases-honey-bee-survival-does-not-affect-gut-microbiome#comments Pesticide Toxicity Pesticides Bee Colony Collapse Insect Study Mon, 21 May 2018 19:24:48 +0000 greenmedinfo 164575 at https://greenmedinfo.com