Foraging bumblebees acquire a preference for neonicotinoid-treated food with prolonged exposure.

ABSTRACT: Social bees represent an important group of pollinating insects that can be exposed to potentially harmful pesticides when foraging on treated or contaminated flowering plants. To investigate if such exposure is detrimental to bees, many studies have exclusively fed individuals with pesticide-spiked food, informing us about the hazard but not necessarily the risk of exposure. While such studies are important to establish the physiological and behavioural effects on individuals, they do not consider the possibility that the risk of exposure may change over time. For example, many pesticide assays exclude potential behavioural adaptations to novel toxins, such as rejection of harmful compounds by choosing to feed on an uncontaminated food source, thus behaviourally lowering the risk of expos

SUBMITTER: Arce AN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6125916 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature