Impact of chronic neonicotinoid exposure on honeybee colony performance and queen supersedure.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Honeybees provide economically and ecologically vital pollination services to crops and wild plants. During the last decade elevated colony losses have been documented in Europe and North America. Despite growing consensus on the involvement of multiple causal factors, the underlying interactions impacting on honeybee health and colony failure are not fully resolved. Parasites and pathogens are among the main candidates, but sublethal exposure to widespread agricultural pesticides may also affect bees.

Methodology/principal findings

To investigate effects of sublethal dietary neonicotinoid exposure on honeybee colony performance, a fully crossed experimental design was implemented using 24 colonies, including sister-queens from two different strains, and experimen

SUBMITTER: Sandrock C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4118897 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature