title: Using video-tracking to assess sublethal effects of pesticides on honey bees (Apis mellifera L.).
abstract: Concern about the role of pesticides in honey bee decline has highlighted the need to examine the effects of sublethal exposure on bee behaviors. The video-tracking system EthoVisionXT (Noldus Information Technologies) was used to measure the effects of sublethal exposure to tau-fluvalinate and imidacloprid on honey bee locomotion, interactions, and time spent near a food source over a 24-h observation period. Bees were either treated topically with 0.3, 1.5, and 3 µg tau-fluvalinate or exposed to 0.05, 0.5, 5.0, 50, and 500 ppb imidacloprid in a sugar agar cube. Tau-fluvalinate caused a significant reduction in distance moved at all dose levels (p < 0.05), as did 50 and 500 ppb imidacloprid (p < 0.001). Bees exposed to 50 and 500 ppb spent significantly more time near the food source than control bees (p < 0.05). Interaction time decreased as time in the food zone increased for both chemicals. This study documents that video-tracking of bee behavior can enhance current protocols for measuring the effects of pesticides on honey bees at sublethal levels. It may provide a means of identifying problematic compounds for further testing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
authors.forename: Bethany S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Teeters
authors.forename: Reed M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Marion D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.forename: Blair D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Siegfried
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000633:toxicity*; D007306:Insecticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D000073943:Neonicotinoids; D009570:Nitriles / Q000633:toxicity*; D009574:Nitro Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D011722:Pyrethrins / Q000633:toxicity*; D014741:Video Recording
chemical_list: D007093:Imidazoles; D007306:Insecticides; D000073943:Neonicotinoids; D009570:Nitriles; D009574:Nitro Compounds; D011722:Pyrethrins; C034227:fluvalinate; C082359:imidacloprid