Neonicotinoid pesticide reduces bumble bee colony growth and queen production

Whitehorn, Penelope R. and O'Connor, Stephanie and Wackers, Felix L. and Goulson, Dave (2012) Neonicotinoid pesticide reduces bumble bee colony growth and queen production. Science, 336 (6079). pp. 351-352. ISSN 0036-8075

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Abstract

Growing evidence for declines in bee populations has caused great concern because of the valuable ecosystem services they provide. Neonicotinoid insecticides have been implicated in these declines because they occur at trace levels in the nectar and pollen of crop plants. We exposed colonies of the bumble bee Bombus terrestris in the laboratory to field-realistic levels of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, then allowed them to develop naturally under field conditions. Treated colonies had a significantly reduced growth rate and suffered an 85% reduction in production of new queens compared with control colonies. Given the scale of use of neonicotinoids, we suggest that they may be having a considerable negative impact on wild bumble bee populations across the developed world.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Science
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1000
Subjects:
?? animalsbeesfeeding behaviorfemaleimidazolesinsecticidesmalenitro compoundspollenpopulation dynamicsrandom allocationreproductionweight gaingeneral ??
ID Code:
66671
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
20 Sep 2013 10:28
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
15 Jul 2024 14:14