Chronic exposure to a neonicotinoid pesticide alters the interactions between bumblebees and wild plants.

ABSTRACT: Insect pollinators are essential for both the production of a large proportion of world crops and the health of natural ecosystems. As important pollinators, bumblebees must learn to forage on flowers to feed both themselves and provision their colonies.Increased use of pesticides has caused concern over sublethal effects on bees, such as impacts on reproduction or learning ability. However, little is known about how sublethal exposure to field-realistic levels of pesticide might affect the ability of bees to visit and manipulate flowers.We observed the behaviour of individual bumblebees from colonies chronically exposed to a neonicotinoid pesticide (10 ppb thiamethoxam) or control solutions foraging for the first time on an array of morphologically complex wildflowers (Lotus corniculat

SUBMITTER: Stanley DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4950133 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature