title: Influence of pesticide use in fruit orchards during blooming on honeybee mortality in 4 experimental apiaries.
abstract: Samples of dead honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) were collected periodically from 4 different locations during citrus and stone fruit trees blooming season to evaluate the potential impact of agrochemicals on honey bee death rate. For the determination of mortality, dead honey bee traps were placed in front of the experimental hives entrance located in areas of intensive agriculture in Valencian Community (Spain). A total of 34 bee samples, obtained along the monitoring period, were analyzed by means of QuEChERS extraction method and screened for 58 pesticides or their degradation products by LC-MS/MS. An average of four pesticides per honey bee sample was detected. Coumaphos, an organophosphate acaricide used against varroosis in the experimental hives, was detected in 94% of the samples. However, this acaricide was unlikely to be responsible for honey bee mortality because its constantly low concentration during all the monitoring period, even before and after acute mortality episodes. The organophosphates chlorpyrifos and dimethoate, as well as the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, were the most frequently detected agrochemicals. Almost 80% of the samples had chlorpyrifos, 68% dimethoate, and 32% imidacloprid. Maximum concentrations for these three compounds were 751, 403, 223 ng/g respectively. Influence of these pesticides on acute honey bee mortality was demonstrated by comparing coincidence between death rate and concentrations of chlorpyrifos, dimethoate and imidacloprid.
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Food Safety Research Group (SAMA-UV), Research Center on Desertification (CIDE, UV-CSIC-GV), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Valencia, Av. Vicent Andrés Estellés s/n, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain. Electronic address: paucaver@alumni.uv.es.
authors.forename: Pau
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Calatayud-Vernich
authors.affiliation: Agrupación de Defensa Sanitaria Apícola (apiADS), Ctra. Montroi-Turís, 46193 Montroi, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Calatayud
authors.affiliation: Agrupación de Defensa Sanitaria Apícola (apiADS), Ctra. Montroi-Turís, 46193 Montroi, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Simó
authors.affiliation: Unit of Public Health, Hygiene and Environmental Health, University of Valencia; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain; Center for Advanced Research in Public Health (CSISP-FISABIO), Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria Morales
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Suarez-Varela
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Food Safety Research Group (SAMA-UV), Research Center on Desertification (CIDE, UV-CSIC-GV), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Valencia, Av. Vicent Andrés Estellés s/n, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Yolanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Picó
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000187:drug effects*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005638:Fruit / Q000254:growth & development; D010575:Pesticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides
keywords: Apis mellifera; Blooming season; Death rate; Neonicotinoids; Organophosphates