12 honey bee ecotoxicology

Question 1

what percent of honey bee colonies are affected by pesticides in Canada each year?

Answer 1

-700,000 colonies in Canada
-700-14000 affected by pesticides
-0.1-2% are affected

Question 2

what is a honey bee?

Answer 2

Apis mellifera (western or european honey bee)

one of 10 species of Apis (honey) bees
-social (eusocial)

distinct from non-apis bees
-20,000 species worldwide, 387 on prairies
-mainly solitary

Question 3

a honey bee colony is a _____________

Answer 3

SUPERORGANISM (eusocial species)
1. colony members belong to casts which are either reproductive or sterile
2. colony contains both parents and offspring
3. colony members cooperate to raise the colony’s brood

-different members have different functions resulting in different exposure to toxins in terms of route, duration and magnitude

Question 4

what are the honey bee castes?

Answer 4

worker has the greatest potential exposure to pesticides

Question 5

what does brood refer to?

Answer 5

developing bees=eggs, larvae and pupae

Question 6

what is the life of a summer worker honey bee?

Answer 6

Question 7

what is a superorganism?

Answer 7

-colony growth and survival are dependent on the collective actions of individuals
-survival of an individual bee may be inconsequential for survival of a colony (it can compensate)

Question 8

how are honey bees exposed to pesticides?

Answer 8

Question 9

what can individual exposure to pesticides result in?

Answer 9

Question 10

what pesticides are in a honey bee hive?

Answer 10

-121 different pesticides
->90% bee, pollen and wax samples had two or more pesticides
-average was 6 pesticides per sample

Question 11

how are bees at a disadvantage?

Answer 11

Question 12

what is the safe dose range for pesticides and honey bees?

Answer 12

sublethal can be measured by the amount of honey production

Question 13

what is the current pesticide risk assessment for honey bees?

Answer 13

Question 13

why are honey bees a good choice for pesticide risk assessment?

Answer 13

long foraging range
-2-3km (1-2 miles) but up to 7 km (5 miles) or more

widely used for agricultural pollination
-pollinates 2/3 of the worlds leading food crops
-5.5 billion $ to Canadian agriculture
-90% of value of blueberries and apples
-3.1 billion$ to canola

-easy to manage
-ability to rear in the laboratory

Question 14

why is pesticide risk assessment not always consistent?

Answer 14

->95% of canola in Canada is grown from neonicotinoid-treated seeds

-europe banned all bee-harming pesticides like neonicotinoids

Question 15

how can we reduce pesticide exposure of bees?

Answer 15

-replace brood frames every 4-5 years
-communication between beekeepers and land owners
-follow pesticide application and disposal instruction (minimize dust and drift)
-avoid bloom application of pesticides
-apply when bees are not foraging (like evening)
-move or confine colonies if necessary
-display beekeeper contact information on apiaries
-report incidents to pest management regulatory agency