Are Botanical Biopesticides Safe for Bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea)?
The recent global decline in insect populations is of particular concern for pollinators. Wild and managed bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) are of primary environmental and economic importance because of their role in pollinating cultivated and wild plants, and synthetic pesticides are among the major fa...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-03-01
|
| Series: | Insects |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/3/247 |
| _version_ | 1797611107611836416 |
|---|---|
| author | Roberto Catania Maria Augusta Pereira Lima Michele Potrich Fabio Sgolastra Lucia Zappalà Gaetana Mazzeo |
| author_facet | Roberto Catania Maria Augusta Pereira Lima Michele Potrich Fabio Sgolastra Lucia Zappalà Gaetana Mazzeo |
| author_sort | Roberto Catania |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The recent global decline in insect populations is of particular concern for pollinators. Wild and managed bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) are of primary environmental and economic importance because of their role in pollinating cultivated and wild plants, and synthetic pesticides are among the major factors contributing to their decline. Botanical biopesticides may be a viable alternative to synthetic pesticides in plant defence due to their high selectivity and short environmental persistence. In recent years, scientific progress has been made to improve the development and effectiveness of these products. However, knowledge regarding their adverse effects on the environment and non-target species is still scarce, especially when compared to that of synthetic products. Here, we summarize the studies concerning the toxicity of botanical biopesticides on the different groups of social and solitary bees. We highlight the lethal and sublethal effects of these products on bees, the lack of a uniform protocol to assess the risks of biopesticides on pollinators, and the scarcity of studies on specific groups of bees, such as the large and diverse group of solitary bees. Results show that botanical biopesticides cause lethal effects and a large number of sublethal effects on bees. However, the toxicity is limited when comparing the effects of these compounds with those of synthetic compounds. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:23:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-85c896667d4f4fbbbc5c594868fa9b5f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:23:08Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-85c896667d4f4fbbbc5c594868fa9b5f2023-11-17T11:45:57ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502023-03-0114324710.3390/insects14030247Are Botanical Biopesticides Safe for Bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea)?Roberto Catania0Maria Augusta Pereira Lima1Michele Potrich2Fabio Sgolastra3Lucia Zappalà4Gaetana Mazzeo5Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Catania, 95123 Catania, ItalyDipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Catania, 95123 Catania, ItalyLaboratório de Controle Biológico, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná—Dois Vizinhos (UTFPR-DV), Paraná 85660-000, BrazilDipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 40127 Bologna, ItalyDipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Catania, 95123 Catania, ItalyDipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Catania, 95123 Catania, ItalyThe recent global decline in insect populations is of particular concern for pollinators. Wild and managed bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) are of primary environmental and economic importance because of their role in pollinating cultivated and wild plants, and synthetic pesticides are among the major factors contributing to their decline. Botanical biopesticides may be a viable alternative to synthetic pesticides in plant defence due to their high selectivity and short environmental persistence. In recent years, scientific progress has been made to improve the development and effectiveness of these products. However, knowledge regarding their adverse effects on the environment and non-target species is still scarce, especially when compared to that of synthetic products. Here, we summarize the studies concerning the toxicity of botanical biopesticides on the different groups of social and solitary bees. We highlight the lethal and sublethal effects of these products on bees, the lack of a uniform protocol to assess the risks of biopesticides on pollinators, and the scarcity of studies on specific groups of bees, such as the large and diverse group of solitary bees. Results show that botanical biopesticides cause lethal effects and a large number of sublethal effects on bees. However, the toxicity is limited when comparing the effects of these compounds with those of synthetic compounds.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/3/247ecotoxicologypollinatorrisk assessmentsocial beessolitary beestoxicity |
| spellingShingle | Roberto Catania Maria Augusta Pereira Lima Michele Potrich Fabio Sgolastra Lucia Zappalà Gaetana Mazzeo Are Botanical Biopesticides Safe for Bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea)? Insects ecotoxicology pollinator risk assessment social bees solitary bees toxicity |
| title | Are Botanical Biopesticides Safe for Bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea)? |
| title_full | Are Botanical Biopesticides Safe for Bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea)? |
| title_fullStr | Are Botanical Biopesticides Safe for Bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea)? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Are Botanical Biopesticides Safe for Bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea)? |
| title_short | Are Botanical Biopesticides Safe for Bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea)? |
| title_sort | are botanical biopesticides safe for bees hymenoptera apoidea |
| topic | ecotoxicology pollinator risk assessment social bees solitary bees toxicity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/3/247 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT robertocatania arebotanicalbiopesticidessafeforbeeshymenopteraapoidea AT mariaaugustapereiralima arebotanicalbiopesticidessafeforbeeshymenopteraapoidea AT michelepotrich arebotanicalbiopesticidessafeforbeeshymenopteraapoidea AT fabiosgolastra arebotanicalbiopesticidessafeforbeeshymenopteraapoidea AT luciazappala arebotanicalbiopesticidessafeforbeeshymenopteraapoidea AT gaetanamazzeo arebotanicalbiopesticidessafeforbeeshymenopteraapoidea |