Bee bread collected by honey bees (Apis mellifera) as a terrestrial pesticide biomarker to complement water studies.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pesticides in aquatic environments are frequently studied, yet those in terrestrial environments remain relatively unexplored. This study monitored bee bread collected from two apiaries located in a typical agricultural environment in Switzerland from March to August 2022 as a proxy for terrestrial pesticide inputs. The temporal appearance of the selected pesticides was compared to their profiles in the water of a small catchment within this area.

Results

Overall, 62% (31 of 50) of the targeted pesticides were detected in bee bread, with occurrences in both apiaries largely overlapping (23 pesticides), demonstrating a similar agricultural landscape across the region. Furthermore, nine pesticides were detected in bee bread and water, two pesticides were detected on

SUBMITTER: Stalder S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11821474 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature