Bumblebees can be Exposed to the Herbicide Glyphosate when Foraging.

ABSTRACT: Herbicides are the most widely used pesticides globally. Although used to control weeds, they may also pose a risk to bee health. A key knowledge gap is how bees could be exposed to herbicides in the environment, including whether they may forage on treated plants before they die. We used a choice test to determine if bumblebees would forage on plants treated with glyphosate at two time periods after treatment. We also determined whether glyphosate and its degradation product aminomethylphosphonic acid were present as residues in the pollen collected by the bees while foraging. Finally, we explored if floral resources (nectar and pollen) remained present in plants after herbicide treatment. In general bees indiscriminately foraged on both plants treated with glyphosate and controls, showin

SUBMITTER: Thompson LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9804218 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature