Neither sulfoxaflor, Crithidia bombi, nor their combination impact bumble bee colony development or field bean pollination.

ABSTRACT: Many pollinators, including bumble bees, are in decline. Such declines are known to be driven by a number of interacting factors. Decreases in bee populations may also negatively impact the key ecosystem service, pollination, that they provide. Pesticides and parasites are often cited as two of the drivers of bee declines, particularly as they have previously been found to interact with one another to the detriment of bee health. Here we test the effects of an insecticide, sulfoxaflor, and a highly prevalent bumble bee parasite, Crithidia bombi, on the bumble bee Bombus terrestris. After exposing colonies to realistic doses of either sulfoxaflor and/or Crithidia bombi in a fully crossed experiment, colonies were allowed to forage on field beans in outdoor exclusion cages. Foraging performa

SUBMITTER: Straw EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10542809 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature