title: Effects of Pesticide Treatments on Nutrient Levels in Worker Honey Bees (Apis mellifera).
abstract: Honey bee colony loss continues to be an issue and no factor has been singled out as to the cause. In this study, we sought to determine whether two beekeeper-applied pesticide products, tau-fluvalinate and Fumagilin-B(®), and one agrochemical, chlorothalonil, impact the nutrient levels in honey bee workers in a natural colony environment. Treatments were performed in-hive and at three different periods (fall, spring, and summer) over the course of one year. Bees were sampled both at pre-treatment and two and four weeks post-treatment, weighed, and their protein and carbohydrate levels were determined using BCA and anthrone based biochemical assays, respectively. We report that, based on the pesticide concentrations tested, no significant negative impact of the pesticide products was observed on wet weight, protein levels, or carbohydrate levels of bees from treated colonies compared with bees from untreated control colonies.
authors.affiliation: Engineering Consulting Services Mid-Atlantic, Limited Liability Company (LLC), 14026 Thunderbolt Place, Suite 100, Chantilly, VA 20151, USA. hkfeazel@vt.edu.
authors.forename: Haley K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Feazel-Orr
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, 170 Drillfield Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. kmcat92@vt.edu.
authors.forename: Katelyn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Catalfamo
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, 170 Drillfield Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. carlyleb@vt.edu.
authors.forename: Carlyle C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Brewster
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, 170 Drillfield Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. rfell@vt.edu.
authors.forename: Richard D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Fell
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, 170 Drillfield Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. anderst@vt.edu.
authors.forename: Troy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Penn State Schuylkill, 200 University Drive, Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972, USA. bet12@psu.edu.
authors.forename: Brenna E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Traver
keywords: Apis mellifera; colony losses; honey bee; nutrition; pesticide