Planting of neonicotinoid-coated corn raises honey bee mortality and sets back colony development.

ABSTRACT: Worldwide occurrences of honey bee colony losses have raised concerns about bee health and the sustainability of pollination-dependent crops. While multiple causal factors have been identified, seed coating with insecticides of the neonicotinoid family has been the focus of much discussion and research. Nonetheless, few studies have investigated the impacts of these insecticides under field conditions or in commercial beekeeping operations. Given that corn-seed coating constitutes the largest single use of neonicotinoid, our study compared honey bee mortality from commercial apiaries located in two different agricultural settings, i.e. corn-dominated areas and corn-free environments, during the corn planting season. Data was collected in 2012 and 2013 from 26 bee yards. Dead honey bees fro

SUBMITTER: Samson-Robert O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5560231 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature