Honey Bee Survival and Pathogen Prevalence: From the Perspective of Landscape and Exposure to Pesticides.

ABSTRACT: In order to study the in situ effects of the agricultural landscape and exposure to pesticides on honey bee health, sixteen honey bee colonies were placed in four different agricultural landscapes. Those landscapes were three agricultural areas with varying levels of agricultural intensity (AG areas) and one non-agricultural area (NAG area). Colonies were monitored for different pathogen prevalence and pesticide residues over a period of one year. RT-qPCR was used to study the prevalence of seven different honey bee viruses as well as Nosema sp. in colonies located in different agricultural systems with various intensities of soybean, corn, sorghum, and cotton production. Populations of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor were also extensively monitored. Comprehensive MS-LC pesticide resi

SUBMITTER: Alburaki M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6023357 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature