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Assessing Agrochemical Risk to Mated Honey Bee Queens
Published on: March 3, 2021
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Exploring honey bee toxicological data as a proxy for assessing dimethoate sensitivity in stingless bees.
Andreza Ribas1, Lorena Lisbetd Botina2, Renan Dos Santos Araújo3
1Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-900, Brazil.
Chemosphere
|March 10, 2024
Summary
Toxicity tests reveal stingless bees vary in sensitivity to the insecticide dimethoate. Lighter species like Melipona mondury require specific protection, especially from contact exposure, for effective agrochemical risk assessment.
Area of Science:
- Ecotoxicology
- Entomology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Stingless bees exhibit high diversity, complicating agrochemical risk assessments.
- Standard toxicity testing protocols may not fully capture species-specific sensitivities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the toxicity of the insecticide dimethoate across 15 stingless bee species and one honey bee species.
- To construct species sensitivity distribution (SSD) curves for estimating hazard doses (HD5).
- To inform agrochemical registration and conservation strategies for stingless bees.
Main Methods:
- Toxicity assessments using adapted OECD protocols for acute oral and contact exposure.
- Determination of median lethal doses (24h-LD50) for each species.
- Construction of SSD curves and estimation of 5% hazard doses (HD5), adjusted for body weight.
Main Results:
- Significant variation in dimethoate toxicity (24h-LD50) among stingless bee species.
- Lighter bees (<10 mg) exhibited lower 24h-LD50 values, indicating higher sensitivity.
- Contact exposure risk assessment indicated insufficient protection for Melipona mondury; oral exposure posed no risk to the other 14 species.
Conclusions:
- Agrochemical risk assessments must consider the high species diversity and varying sensitivities within stingless bees.
- Body weight is a critical factor influencing insecticide toxicity in these bees.
- Broader species inclusion in testing is essential for robust conservation strategies and regulatory decisions.
