Effects of the Neonicotinoid Acetamiprid in Pollen on Bombus impatiens Microcolony Development

Honey bees and other wild bee species including bumble bees have experienced population declines in recent decades. Although many stressors are implicated in bee population declines, much attention has focused on neonicotinoid pesticides, which are widely used and known to be toxic to pollinators. One neonicotinoid, acetamiprid, has been studied very little in bumble bees, despite its use on bumble bee-pollinated crops. We assessed the impacts of acetamiprid to the North American bumble bee Bombus impatiens using the microcolony model. We examined nest growth, development, and subsequent nest productivity as measured by drone production. We found that high concentrations of acetamiprid in pollen (4520 µg/kg) significantly impacted nest growth, development, and, ultimately, reproduction (drone production). We found the no-observable-adverse effect level to be 45.2 µg/kg. Overall, acetamiprid has the potential to negatively impact reproductive endpoints for B. impatiens. However, effects occurred at concentrations substantially higher than expected environmental concentrations that would be achieved when following label rates. Further work is required to assess the effects of this pesticide on B. impatiens via alternate routes of exposure and on queenright colonies. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:2560-2569. © 2020 SETAC. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.