Widespread contamination of wildflower and bee-collected pollen with complex mixtures of neonicotinoids and fungicides commonly applied to crops

Abstract

(2016) Widespread contamination of wildflower and beecollected pollen with complex mixtures of neonicotinoids and fungicides commonly applied to crops. Environment International, This version is available from Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/59217/ This document is made available in accordance with publisher policies and may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher's version. Please see the URL above for details on accessing the published version. Copyright and reuse:Sussex Research Online is a digital repository of the research output of the University.Copyright and all moral rights to the version of the paper presented here belong to the individual author(s) and/or other copyright owners. To the extent reasonable and practicable, the material made available in SRO has been checked for eligibility before being made available.Copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided that the authors, title and full bibliographic details are credited, a hyperlink and/or URL is given for the original metadata page and the content is not changed in any way. Widespread contamination of wildflower and bee-collected pollen1 with complex mixtures of neonicotinoids and fungicides. There is considerable and ongoing debate as to the harm inflicted on bees by exposure to 16 agricultural pesticides. In part, the lack of consensus reflects a shortage of information on field-17 realistic levels of exposure. Here, we quantify concentrations of neonicotinoid insecticides and 18 fungicides in the pollen of oilseed rape, and in pollen of wildflowers growing near arable fields. We 19 then compare this to concentrations of these pesticides found in pollen collected by honey bees and 20 in pollen and adult bees sampled from bumblebee colonies placed on arable farms. We also 21 compared this with levels found in bumblebee colonies placed in urban areas. Pollen of oilseed rape 22 was heavily contaminated with a broad range of pesticides, as was the pollen of wildflowers growing 23 nearby. Consequently, pollen collected by both bee species also contained a wide range of 24 pesticides, notably including the fungicides carbendazim, boscalid, flusilazole, metconazole, 25 tebuconazole and trifloxystrobin and the neonicotinoids thiamethoxam, thiacloprid and 26 imidacloprid. In bumblebees, fungicides carbendazim, boscalid, tebuconazole, flusilazole and 27 metconazole were present at concentrations up to 73 nanogram/gram (ng/g). Pesticide 28 concentrations in pollen collected by honeybees tended to be lower than those in pollen collected 29 by bumblebees. It is notable that pollen collected by bumblebees in rural areas contained high levels 30 of the neonicotinoids thiamethoxam (mean 18 ng/g) and thiacloprid (mean 2.9 ng/g), along with a 31 range ...

Honey bee survival is affected by interactions between field-relevant rates of fungicides and insecticides used in apple and blueberry production

“…For example, foliar applications at recommended field rates caused 100% mortality of larval Choristoneura rosaceana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) up to 59 d post-application (Sial et al 2011). Although flusilazole degrades relatively rapidly in the field (Yu et al 2011), it has been shown to potentiate multiple insecticides (Thompson et al 2014) and has been detected in pollen (David et al 2016), honey bees, and honey (Lambert et al 2013). Moreover, flusilazole can be applied to crops like apple during full flower (Nustar ® Fungicide Product Label, E.I.…”

An update of the Worldwide Integrated Assessment (WIA) on systemic insecticides. Part 2: impacts on organisms and ecosystems

“…Residue analyses of pollen, honey or bee wax revealed the presence of a cocktail of multiple insecticides accumulating at the same time David et al 2016;Krupke and Long 2015;Mullin et al 2010;Daniele et al 2017;Giorio et al 2017 this special issue). However, relatively few investigations have focused on the sublethal effects of pesticides on the honeybee brood.…”

“…The values of 161-447 ng/bee were calculated as realistic worstcase exposures based on approved application rates for UK crops. In a study of pesticide residues in pollen collected by B. terrestris in the UK, David et al (2016) found concentrations of DMI fungicides up to 84 ppb, while Sanchez-Bayo and Goka (2014) report residues of propiconazole in honeybee-collected pollen up to 361 ppb. At the latter concentration a bee would need to consume approximately 28 g of pollen to receive the dose used in the Iwasa et al (2004) study, which is not realistic.…”

“…It is clear that bees and other non-target organisms inhabiting farmland are routinely exposed to far more complex cocktails of pesticides than any experimental protocol has yet attempted to examine (e.g., David et al 2016;Giorio et al 2017 this special issue). A major challenge for scientists and regulators is to attempt to understand how chronic exposure to complex mixtures of neonicotinoids, fipronil, and other chemicals affects wildlife, this with or without other natural stressors (infectious agents, parasitism) and adverse abiotic conditions.…”

“…These results may indicate that hedgerows and field margins, which are often managed to for biodiversity conservation and act as reservoirs for pollinators and antagonists of agricultural pests, may fail to deliver these functions (i.e., ecosystem services) if contaminated by neonicotinoids. David et al (2016) analyzed the content of neonicotinoids and fungicides in pollen from OSR and OSR field margin wildflowers and pollen collected by honey bees. Frequency of occurrence and mean concentrations of neonicotinoids was higher in OSR, lower in wildflowers and lowest in honey bee pollen.…”