Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Monitoring Colony-level Effects of Sublethal Pesticide Exposure on Honey Bees

Monitoring Colony-level Effects of Sublethal Pesticide Exposure on Honey Bees

Published on: November 15, 2017

Effects of sublethal doses of fipronil on the behavior of the honeybee (Apis mellifera).

Abdessalam Kacimi El Hassani¹, Matthieu Dacher, Monique Gauthier

¹Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III-CNRS UMR 5169, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex 04, France.

Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior

|August 17, 2005

Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

How the diet influences lepidopteran reproduction: Morpho-functional, behavioral, and endocrine aspects.

Journal of insect physiology·2025

Same author

Effects of endocrine disruptors from plastics on insect crop pests.

Annales d'endocrinologie·2025

Same author

Insights on the nutritional ecology of a nocturnal pollinating insect.

Insect science·2025

Same author

Diet acts on sexual behavior development in a male moth.

Insect science·2024

Same author

Measuring honey bee feeding rhythms with the BeeBox, a platform for nectar foraging insects.

Physiology & behavior·2024

Same author

Effect of Adult Male Diet on Fertilization and Hatching in an Insect.

microPublication biology·2024

Sublethal doses of fipronil insecticide impair honeybee olfactory learning and sucrose sensitivity. These findings highlight the vulnerability of crucial honeybee behaviors to common pesticides.

Area of Science:

Insect toxicology
Behavioral ecology
Pesticide impact on pollinators

Background:

Fipronil, a phenylpyrazole insecticide, targets insect nervous systems by blocking GABA and glutamate receptors.
While its effects on target pests are known, the behavioral impact of low fipronil doses on non-target insects like honeybees remains unclear.
Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are vital pollinators, making their sensitivity to environmental contaminants a significant concern.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the behavioral effects of sublethal fipronil doses on honeybees.
To determine if topical or oral administration routes influence fipronil's impact.
To assess fipronil's effects on honeybee sucrose sensitivity, olfactory learning, and locomotor activity.

Main Methods:

More Related Videos

Assessing Agrochemical Risk to Mated Honey Bee Queens

Assessing Agrochemical Risk to Mated Honey Bee Queens

Published on: March 3, 2021

Evaluating the Effect of Pesticides on the Larvae of the Solitary Bees

Evaluating the Effect of Pesticides on the Larvae of the Solitary Bees

Published on: October 15, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Monitoring Colony-level Effects of Sublethal Pesticide Exposure on Honey Bees

Monitoring Colony-level Effects of Sublethal Pesticide Exposure on Honey Bees

Published on: November 15, 2017

Assessing Agrochemical Risk to Mated Honey Bee Queens

Assessing Agrochemical Risk to Mated Honey Bee Queens

Published on: March 3, 2021

Evaluating the Effect of Pesticides on the Larvae of the Solitary Bees

Evaluating the Effect of Pesticides on the Larvae of the Solitary Bees

Published on: October 15, 2021

Controlled laboratory experiments exposing honeybees to sublethal fipronil doses.

Fipronil administration via topical thoracic application and oral ingestion.

Behavioral assays measuring sucrose sensitivity, olfactory learning (e.g., proboscis extension response), and locomotor activity.

Main Results:

Topical application of 1 ng/bee fipronil significantly reduced sucrose sensitivity 1 hour post-treatment.
A lower topical dose (0.5 ng/bee) impaired honeybee olfactory learning.
Neither oral administration nor topical application affected honeybee locomotor activity.
Sucrose sensitivity was not significantly affected by acute oral fipronil treatment.

Conclusions:

Sublethal fipronil exposure, particularly via topical application, significantly impacts honeybee sucrose perception and olfactory memory.
Olfactory learning and gustatory sensitivity appear to be particularly vulnerable processes in honeybees exposed to fipronil.
These findings underscore the potential risks of fipronil to honeybee health and cognitive functions, even at low doses.