Honey Bees (Apis mellifera, L.) as Active Samplers of Airborne Particulate Matter.

ABSTRACT: Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) are bioindicators of environmental pollution levels. During their wide-ranging foraging activity, these hymenopterans are exposed to pollutants, thus becoming a useful tool to trace the environmental contaminants as heavy metals, pesticides, radionuclides and volatile organic compounds. In the present work we demonstrate that bees can also be used as active samplers of airborne particulate matter. Worker bees were collected from hives located in a polluted postmining area in South West Sardinia (Italy) that is also exposed to dust emissions from industrial plants. The area is included in an official list of sites of national interest for environmental remediation, and has been characterized for the effects of pollutants on the health of the resident populatio

SUBMITTER: Negri I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4492680 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature