Plant Soil Environ., 2021, 67(6):343-352 | DOI: 10.17221/135/2021-PSE

Findings of herbicide and fungicide residues in bee breadOriginal Paper

Aneta Bokšová1, Jan Kazda1, Martina Stejskalová*,1, Tomáš Šubrt2, Leoš Uttl3, Petr Mráz3, Jan Bartoška2
1 Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
2 Department of Systems Engineering, Faculty of Economics and Management, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
3 Department of Food Analysis and Nutrition, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

The honey bee is one of the insects that is significantly endangered by the application of pesticides in the cultivation of crops. Not only is acute toxicity dangerous, but the importance of chronic poisoning by low doses of pesticides in hives is growing. The behavior of bees can be affected not only by insecticide residues but also by herbicide and fungicide residues. In 2016-2018, samples of bee bread were analysed for pesticide content at 25 different localities from intensive agricultural production areas of the Czech Republic. Substances were extracted by QuEChERS and determined by liquid chromatography, together with mass spectrometric detection. We detected up to 18 pesticides in one sample. In total, during 2016-2018, we identified 53 active substances. Fifteen substances (31%) were herbicidal, 23 substances (47%) of fungicidal nature and 6 substances (12%) of insecticidal nature. The coefficient of variation showed large differences in the frequency of revealed pesticides between years. For substances sprayed outside period attractive for pollinators (mainly herbicides and some fungicides), the usual methodology cannot reliably determine the degree of contamination, and thus the actual contamination with these substances may be even higher than demonstrated in this study.

Keywords: pollen; chemical analyses; plant protection; Apis mellifera L.; chronic toxicity

Published: June 30, 2021  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Bokšová A, Kazda J, Stejskalová M, Šubrt T, Uttl L, Mráz P, Bartoška J. Findings of herbicide and fungicide residues in bee bread. Plant Soil Environ. 2021;67(6):343-352. doi: 10.17221/135/2021-PSE.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Aliouane Y., El Hassani A.K., Gary V., Armengaud C., Lambin M., Gauthier M. (2009): Subchronic exposure of honeybees to sublethal doses of pesticides: effects on behavior. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 28: 113-122. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    2. Böhme F., Bischoff G., Zebitz C.P.W., Rosenkranz P., Wallner K. (2018): Pesticide residue survey of pollen loads collected by honeybees (Apis mellifera) in daily intervals at three agricultural sites in South Germany. Plos One, 13: e0199995. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    3. Brown M.J.F., Paxton R.J. (2009): The conservation of bees: a global perspective. Apidologie, 40: 410-416. Go to original source...
    4. CISTA (2016): Czech Republic - Usage of active substances in 2016 (kg, L). Brno, Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture. Available at: http://eagri.cz/public/web/file/537721/celek_2016_CZ.pdf
    5. CISTA (2017): Czech Republic - Usage of active substances in 2017 (kg, L). Brno, Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture. Available at: http://eagri.cz/public/web/file/587990/celek_2017_CZ.pdf
    6. CISTA (2018): Czech Republic - Usage of active substances in 2018 (kg) by chosen crops according to the Article 3 and Annex II of the Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009, as last amended and Testing in Agriculture. Brno, Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture. Available at: http://eagri.cz/public/web/file/626672/celek_CZ_2018b.pdf
    7. CISTA (2020): Register of plant protection products. Brno, Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture. Available at: http://eagri.cz/public/app/eagriapp/POR/Vyhledavani.aspx?type=0&vyhledat=A&stamp=1614176351953
    8. Colwell M.J., Williams G.R., Evans R.C., Shutler D. (2017): Honey bee-collected pollen in agro-ecosystems reveals diet diversity, diet quality, and pesticide exposure. Ecology and Evolution, 7: 7243-7253. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    9. Cullen M.G., Thompson L.J., Carolan J.C., Stout J.C., Stanley D.A. (2019): Fungicides, herbicides and bees: a systematic review of existing research and methods. Plos One, 14: e0225743. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    10. David A., Botías C., Abdul-Sada A., Goulson D., Hill E.M. (2015): Sensitive determination of mixtures of neonicotinoid and fungicide residues in pollen and single bumblebees using a scaled down QuEChERS method for exposure assessment. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 407: 8151-8162. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    11. David A., Botías C., Abdul-Sada A., Nicholls E., Rotheray E.L., Hill E.M., Goulson D. (2016): Widespread contamination of wildflower and bee-collected pollen with complex mixtures of neonicotinoids and fungicides commonly applied to crops. Environment International, 88: 169-178. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Dively G.P., Kamel A. (2012): Insecticide residues in pollen and nectar of a cucurbit crop and their potential exposure to pollinators. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 60: 4449-4456. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    13. Garbuzov M., Couvillon M.J., Schurch R., Ratnieks F.L.W. (2015): Honey bee dance decoding and pollen-load analysis show limitid foraging on spring-flowering oilseed rape, a potential source of neonicotinoid contamination. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 203: 62-68. Go to original source...
    14. Ghosh S., Jeon H.J., Jung C.L. (2020): Foraging behaviour and preference of pollen sources by honey bee (Apis mellifera) relative to protein contents. Journal of Ecology and Environment, 44: 4. Go to original source...
    15. Gill R.J., Ramos-Rodriguez O., Raine N.E. (2012): Combined pesticide exposure severely affects individual- and colony-level traits in bees. Nature, 491: 105-108. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    16. Henry M., Béguin M., Requier F., Rollin O., Odoux J.-F., Aupinel P., Aptel J., Tchamitchian S., Decourtye A. (2012): A common pesticide decreases foraging success and survival in honey bees. Science, 336: 348-350. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    17. Karise R., Raimets R., Bartkevics V., Pugajeva I., Pihlik P., Keres I., Williams I.H., Viinalass H., Mänd M. (2017): Are pesticide residues in honey related to oilseed rape treatments? Chemosphere, 188: 389-396. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    18. Klein A.-M., Vaissière B.E., Cane J.H., Steffan-Dewenter I., Cunningham S.A., Kremen C., Tscharntke T. (2007): Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 274: 303-313. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    19. Kodeš V. (2018): Pesticide Residues in Groundwater. Prague, Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. Available at: 1540208806 kodeschmi-krtiny.pdf (In Czech)
    20. Laurino D., Porporato M., Patetta A., Manino A. (2011): Toxicity of neonicotinoid insecticides to honey bees laboratory tests. Bulletin of Insectology, 64: 107-113.
    21. Lipiński Z. (2018): Honey Bee Nutrition and Feeding. Olsztyn, Lipiński.
    22. Mao W.F., Schuler M.A., Berenbaum M.R. (2011): CYP9Q-mediated detoxification of acaricides in the honey bee (Apis mellifera). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108: 12657-12662. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    23. Martel A.-C., Lair C. (2011): Validation of a highly sensitive method for the determination of neonicotinoid insecticides residues in honeybees by liquid chromatography with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, 91: 978-988. Go to original source...
    24. Mitchell E.A.D., Mulhauser B., Mulot M., Mutabazi A., Glauser G., Aebi A. (2017): A worldwide survey of neonicotinoids in honey. Science, 358: 109-111. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    25. Moreno-González D., Cutillas V., Dolores Hernando M., AlcántaraDurán J., García-Reyes J.F., Molina-Díaz A. (2020): Quantitative determination of pesticide residues in specific parts of bee specimens by nanoflow liquid chromatography high resolution mass spektrometry. Science of the Total Environment, 715: 137005. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    26. Pilling E.D., Jepson P.C. (1993): Synergism between EBI fungicides and pyrethroid insecticide in the honeybee (Apis mellifera). Pesticide Science, 39: 293-297. Go to original source...
    27. Pohorecka K., Szczesna T., Witek M., Miszczak A., Sikorski P. (2017): The exposure of honey bees to pesticide residues in the hive environment with regard to winter colony losses. Journal of Apicultural Science, 61: 105-125. Go to original source...
    28. Potts S.G., Biesmeijer K., Bommarco R., Breeze T.D. (2015): Status and Trends of European Pollinators. Key Findings of the STEP Project. Sofia, Pensoft Publishers.
    29. Rortais A., Arnold G., Halm M.-P., Touffet-Briens F. (2005): Modes of honeybees exposure to systemic insecticides: estimated amounts of contaminated pollen and nectar consumed by different categories of bees. Apidologie, 36: 71-83. Go to original source...
    30. Saifuddin M., Jha S. (2014): Colony-level variation in pollen collection and foraging preferences among wild-caught bumble bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Environmental Entomology, 43: 393-401. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    31. Sanchez-Bayo F., Goka K. (2014): Pesticide residues and bees - a risk assessment. Plos One, 9: e94482. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    32. Stanley J., Sah K., Jain S.K., Bhatt J.C., Sushil S.N. (2015): Evaluation of pesticide toxicity at their field recommended doses to honeybees, Apis cerana and A. mellifera through laboratory, semi-field and field studies. Chemosphere, 119: 668-674. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    33. Stará J., Kocourek F. (2018): Seven-year monitoring of pyrethroid resistance in the pollen beetle (Brassicogethes aeneus F.) during implementation of insect resistance management. Pest Management Science, 74: 200-209. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    34. Stoner K.A., Eitzer B.D. (2013): Using a hazard quotient to evaluate pesticide residues detected in pollen trapped from honey bees (Apis melifera) in Connecticut. Plos One, 8: e77550. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    35. Tautz J. (2016): Phenomenal bees. Prague, Brázda. (In Czech)
    36. Tette P.A.S., Oliveira F.A. da S., Pereira E.N.C., Silva G., Glória M.B. de A., Fernandes C. (2016): Multiclass method for pesticides quantification in honey by means of modified QuEChERS and UHPLC-MS/MS. Food Chemistry, 211: 130-139. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    37. Titěra D., Kamler F. (2013): Analysis of the extent and impact of the use of high-risk insecticides from the group of neonicotinoids for bees. Final Report on the fulfillment of tasks arising from the work contract No. 553 / 2013-17221 for task No. 110048 A concluded between the Ministry of Agriculture and VÚVč in Dol. Dol, Beekeeping Research Institute.
    38. Wu J.Y., Anelli C.M., Sheppard W.S. (2011): Sub-lethal effects of pesticide residues in brood comb on worker honey bee (Apis mellifera) development and longevity. Plos One, 6: e14720. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    39. Wu-Smart J., Spivak M. (2016): Sub-lethal effects of dietary neonicotinoid insecticide exposure on honey bee queen fecundity and colony development. Scientific Reports, 6: 32108. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    40. Zioga E., Kelly R., White B., Stout J.C. (2020): Plant protection product residues in plant pollen and nectar: a review of curent knowlegde. Enviromental Research, 189: 109873. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY NC 4.0), which permits non-comercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content