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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Evaluating the Effect of Environmental Chemicals on Honey Bee Development from the Individual to Colony Level

Evaluating the Effect of Environmental Chemicals on Honey Bee Development from the Individual to Colony Level

Published on: April 1, 2017

Chronic contact with imidacloprid during development may decrease female solitary bee foraging ability and increase

Nicholas L Anderson¹, Alexandra N Harmon-Threatt¹

¹Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 320 Morrill Hall, 505 S Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.

|June 19, 2021

Summary

Neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid exposure during development altered solitary bee locomotion. Female bees showed reduced movement with age, impacting nesting, while males exhibited increased movement, potentially affecting mating success.

Keywords:

Chronic contact Imidacloprid Movement Mushroom body Nesting resources Solitary bee

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Area of Science:

Environmental toxicology
Insect behavior
Neuroscience

Background:

Environmentally persistent xenobiotics, like neonicotinoids, are linked to insect declines.
Most research on bee toxicity focuses on oral exposure in social species, neglecting solitary bees and alternative exposure routes.
Solitary bees nesting underground may be exposed to soil-borne contaminants like imidacloprid.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of chronic soil imidacloprid exposure on solitary bee development and adult behavior.
To assess effects on locomotion and brain morphology in Osmia lignaria and Megachile rotundata.
To understand potential population-level consequences of xenobiotic exposure in non-target solitary bees.

Main Methods:

Solitary bees (O. lignaria, M. rotundata) were exposed to varying soil concentrations of imidacloprid (0, 7.5, 15, 100 ppb) during immature development.
Adult locomotion (speed, distance) and mushroom body morphology were measured at 2 or 4 days and 14 days post-emergence.
Statistical analyses were performed to determine the effects of imidacloprid treatment on measured parameters.

Main Results:

Female O. lignaria exposed to 15 and 100 ppb imidacloprid showed no age-related increase in movement speed, potentially reducing nesting efficiency.
Young male M. rotundata exposed to 7.5 and 100 ppb imidacloprid moved faster and farther, possibly enhancing mating competition.
No significant effects of imidacloprid were observed on the relative volumes of mushroom body neuropil or Kenyon cell subregions.

Conclusions:

Chronic soil exposure to imidacloprid can alter adult locomotion in solitary bees, with sex-specific effects.
Changes in locomotion, even without gross brain morphological changes, may influence foraging, nesting, and mating behaviors.
Xenobiotic-induced behavioral alterations in solitary bees could impact population dynamics and ecosystem services.