Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2025
Empirical, Metagenomic, and Computational Techniques Illuminate the Mechanisms by which Fungicides Compromise Bee Health
Published on: October 9, 2017
Survival Rate of the Neotropical Stingless Bees Nannotrigona perilampoides and Frieseomelitta nigra after Exposure to
Cristian Góngora-Gamboa1, Esaú Ruiz-Sánchez1, Horacio S Ballina-Gómez1
1División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, TecNM/Instituto Tecnológico de Conkal, Av. Tecnológico s/n, Conkal 97345, Mexico.
Abstract:
Insecticides used in agricultural pest management pose survival risks to the stingless bees that forage on crops in tropical and subtropical regions. In the present study, we evaluated, under laboratory conditions, the acute oral toxicity of five selected insecticides (dinotefuran, imidacloprid, flupyradifurone, spirotetramat, and cyantraniliprole) to two species of neotropical stingless bees: Nannotrigona perilampoides and Frieseomelitta nigra. At field recommended doses, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, and flupyradifurone caused the highest mortality in both bee species. These insecticides also caused the largest decrease in the survival rate when exposed to a 10-fold dilution of the field recommended doses. Notably, dinotefuran exerted a high effect even at 100-fold dilution (100% mortality). In contrast, cyantraniliprole had a low effect and spirotetramat was virtually nontoxic. These results suggest that some insecticides used to control sap-sucking insects may have a significant negative impact on the communities of stingless bees.
