Biomonitoring with bees and bee products: multielement profiles including technology-critical elements

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Ecotoxicology

Background:

• Honeybees (Apis mellifera) and their products serve as valuable biomonitors for environmental pollution.
• Assessing elemental composition in various bee products provides insights into local environmental quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the elemental content of 48 elements in propolis, bees, pollen, honey, honeycomb, and wax.
• To explore matrix-specific patterns and sources of elements using statistical analysis.
• To evaluate the suitability of bee products for regional environmental monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Samples collected over twelve months from Leoben, Austria.
• Microwave-assisted acid digestion followed by ICP-MS/MS analysis.
• Univariate, multivariate statistical analysis, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA).

Main Results:

• Four distinct matrix clusters identified: propolis; bee; pollen; honey/honeycomb/wax.
• Element mass fractions generally decreased in the order: propolis > bee > pollen > wax ≈ honeycomb ≈ honey.
• Two analyte groups identified: particle-associated and soluble/bioavailable; REY patterns suggest geogenic sources.

Conclusions:

• Bee products exhibit characteristic elemental patterns useful for environmental assessment.
• Regional variations in REY patterns in honey samples confirm their potential for tracking environmental conditions across different locations.
• The study validates the use of honeybees and their products as sensitive indicators of environmental pollution.