Exposure to pesticides during development negatively affects honey bee (Apis mellifera) drone sperm viability.

ABSTRACT: Honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies invest a substantial amount of colony resources in the production of drones during the reproductive season to enable mating with virgin queens from nearby colonies. Recent studies have shown significant differences in the production of sperm cells that are viable (i.e., sperm viability) and can fertilize an ovule among sexually mature drones that are exposed to different environmental conditions during development or as adults. In particular, sperm viability may be negatively affected during drone development from exposure to pesticides in contaminated beeswax. To assess whether sperm viability is negatively affected during drone development from exposure to beeswax contaminated with in-hive pesticides, we compared the viability of sperm collected from d

SUBMITTER: Fisher A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6292656 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature