Exposure to neonicotinoids alters the social behavior of bees, affecting the health of the colonies
Exposure to neonicotinoids alters the social behavior of bees, affecting the health of the colonies
Exposure to neonicotinoids alters the social behavior of bees, affecting the health of the colonies
Using a thin automated robotic platform to infiltrate and spy on the behavior of bumblebees, researchers have discovered the harmful effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on the social behavior of bees, highlighting the broad scope of insecticides on the health of colonies. bees
Since it is probably the most important pollinator, bees are of fundamental importance for the production of agricultural crops and for the survival of most of the flowering plants on Earth. However, and despite this importance, the number of bees has decreased worldwide.
It has been shown that neonicotinoid compounds - the most commonly used class of insecticides - have a great impact on bees, and are probably responsible for contributing to the reduction of the population of pollinating species. Among the most notable negative effects of the neonicotinoids is a reduction in the size of the colonies; however, it remains a mystery in which way the exhibition disturbs the behavioral systems within the nest that impede the growth of the colonies.
To determine these effects, James Crall and his colleagues used an innovative automated robotic platform that monitored the behavior of workers in multiple bumblebee colonies. Crall et al. exposed some of the colonies to environmentally realistic concentrations of imidacloprid, a common type of neonicotinoid.
Exposure to this neurotoxic pesticide resulted in measurable changes in the behavior of worker bees within the nest. The results show that workers exposed to imidacloprid were less active and less likely to feed and care for the larvae, as well as more likely to be located towards the periphery of the nest.
Interestingly, these behavioral effects differed greatly depending on the time of day, with inactivity and reduced attention to the larvae by the workers at night. In addition, an analysis of free foraging colonies in the field showed that exposure to imidacloprid impaired colony thermoregulation.
The results provide an explanation for the reduction in size and the increase in mortality of the colonies exposed to neonicotinoids, which could be the result of a deterioration in social behaviors, in the care of offspring and in the control of temperature by of the workers inside the nest. In a related Perspective article, Nigel Raine discusses the implications of the study by Crall et al. on the improvement of future risk assessments of the impact of pesticides on bees. (Source: AAAS)
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