Mouthparts of the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) exhibit poor acuity for the detection of pesticides in nectar
Bees are important pollinators of agricultural crops, but their populations are at risk when pesticides are used. One of the largest risks bees face is poisoning of floral nectar and pollen by insecticides. Studies of bee detection of neonicotinoids have reported contradictory evidence about whether...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2023-12-01
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| Series: | eLife |
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| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/89129 |
| _version_ | 1797387080124334080 |
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| author | Rachel H Parkinson Jennifer Scott Anna L Dorling Hannah Jones Martha Haslam Alex E McDermott-Roberts Geraldine A Wright |
| author_facet | Rachel H Parkinson Jennifer Scott Anna L Dorling Hannah Jones Martha Haslam Alex E McDermott-Roberts Geraldine A Wright |
| author_sort | Rachel H Parkinson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bees are important pollinators of agricultural crops, but their populations are at risk when pesticides are used. One of the largest risks bees face is poisoning of floral nectar and pollen by insecticides. Studies of bee detection of neonicotinoids have reported contradictory evidence about whether bees can taste these pesticides in sucrose solutions and hence avoid them. Here, we use an assay for the detection of food aversion combined with single-sensillum electrophysiology to test whether the mouthparts of the buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) detect the presence of pesticides in a solution that mimicked the nectar of oilseed rape (Brassica napus). Bees did not avoid consuming solutions containing concentrations of imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, clothianidin, or sulfoxaflor spanning six orders of magnitude, even when these solutions contained lethal doses. Only extremely high concentrations of the pesticides altered spiking in gustatory neurons through a slight reduction in firing rate or change in the rate of adaptation. These data provide strong evidence that bumblebees cannot detect or avoid field-relevant concentrations of pesticides using information from their mouthparts. As bees rarely contact floral nectar with other body parts, we predict that they are at high risk of unwittingly consuming pesticides in the nectar of pesticide-treated crops. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T22:19:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bece0f1a79124d1799cb6527583a4eca |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T22:19:39Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
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| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-bece0f1a79124d1799cb6527583a4eca2023-12-18T15:47:13ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2023-12-011210.7554/eLife.89129Mouthparts of the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) exhibit poor acuity for the detection of pesticides in nectarRachel H Parkinson0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8192-3178Jennifer Scott1Anna L Dorling2https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4084-0201Hannah Jones3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9481-8094Martha Haslam4Alex E McDermott-Roberts5Geraldine A Wright6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2749-021XDepartment of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United KingdomDepartment of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United KingdomDepartment of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United KingdomDepartment of Life Sciences, Imperial College, London, United KingdomDepartment of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United KingdomDepartment of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United KingdomDepartment of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United KingdomBees are important pollinators of agricultural crops, but their populations are at risk when pesticides are used. One of the largest risks bees face is poisoning of floral nectar and pollen by insecticides. Studies of bee detection of neonicotinoids have reported contradictory evidence about whether bees can taste these pesticides in sucrose solutions and hence avoid them. Here, we use an assay for the detection of food aversion combined with single-sensillum electrophysiology to test whether the mouthparts of the buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) detect the presence of pesticides in a solution that mimicked the nectar of oilseed rape (Brassica napus). Bees did not avoid consuming solutions containing concentrations of imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, clothianidin, or sulfoxaflor spanning six orders of magnitude, even when these solutions contained lethal doses. Only extremely high concentrations of the pesticides altered spiking in gustatory neurons through a slight reduction in firing rate or change in the rate of adaptation. These data provide strong evidence that bumblebees cannot detect or avoid field-relevant concentrations of pesticides using information from their mouthparts. As bees rarely contact floral nectar with other body parts, we predict that they are at high risk of unwittingly consuming pesticides in the nectar of pesticide-treated crops.https://elifesciences.org/articles/89129beepesticideneonicotinoidacetylcholinegustationtaste |
| spellingShingle | Rachel H Parkinson Jennifer Scott Anna L Dorling Hannah Jones Martha Haslam Alex E McDermott-Roberts Geraldine A Wright Mouthparts of the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) exhibit poor acuity for the detection of pesticides in nectar eLife bee pesticide neonicotinoid acetylcholine gustation taste |
| title | Mouthparts of the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) exhibit poor acuity for the detection of pesticides in nectar |
| title_full | Mouthparts of the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) exhibit poor acuity for the detection of pesticides in nectar |
| title_fullStr | Mouthparts of the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) exhibit poor acuity for the detection of pesticides in nectar |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mouthparts of the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) exhibit poor acuity for the detection of pesticides in nectar |
| title_short | Mouthparts of the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) exhibit poor acuity for the detection of pesticides in nectar |
| title_sort | mouthparts of the bumblebee bombus terrestris exhibit poor acuity for the detection of pesticides in nectar |
| topic | bee pesticide neonicotinoid acetylcholine gustation taste |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/89129 |
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