{"id":35795,"date":"2024-07-10T00:01:38","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T04:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=35795"},"modified":"2024-07-09T17:38:21","modified_gmt":"2024-07-09T21:38:21","slug":"neonicotinoid-insecticides-contribute-to-honey-bee-vulnerability-to-parasitic-varroa-mites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2024\/07\/neonicotinoid-insecticides-contribute-to-honey-bee-vulnerability-to-parasitic-varroa-mites\/","title":{"rendered":"Neonicotinoid Insecticides Contribute to Honey Bee Vulnerability to Parasitic Varroa Mites"},"content":{"rendered":"

(<\/span>Beyond Pesticides<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>July 10<\/span>, 2024) An article last month in <\/span>Entomology Today<\/span><\/a>, a publication of the <\/span>Entomological Society of America<\/span>, highlights the important findings of a study published earlier this year in the <\/span>Journal of Insect Science.<\/span><\/a> While there has been debate on whether <\/span>neonicotinoid<\/span><\/a> (neonic) insecticides or <\/span>Varroa<\/span><\/i> mites (<\/span>Varroa destructor<\/span><\/i>) are more detrimental to the survival of bees, evidence suggests that neonicotinoids are not only harmful individually but can increase vulnerability to parasitism from mites in western honey bees (<\/span>Apis mellifera<\/span><\/i>)<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Entomology Today<\/span><\/i> article reads: \u201cSome researchers and organizations have pointed to neonics as directly harming bees. Others have pointed to other issues, like <\/span>Varroa<\/span><\/i> mite infestation, as more hazardous to honey bee populations.\u201d There is scientific evidence supporting each claim, as both cause stress to bee species that can lead to population decline. The study in the <\/span>Journal of Science<\/span><\/i>, however, is \u201cthe first experimental field demonstration of how neonicotinoid exposure can increase <\/span>V. destructor<\/span><\/i> populations in honey bees and also demonstrates that colony genetic diversity cannot mitigate the effects of neonicotinoid pesticides.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the article states, \u201cThe researchers were not looking for impacts on <\/span>Varroa<\/span><\/i> mites at first. Instead, they were looking to understand how genetic diversity of a honey bee colony could buffer the bees from environmental toxins, says Lewis Bartlett, Ph.D., assistant professor of entomology at the University of Georgia and lead author of the study.\u201d The study uses <\/span>controlled honey bee colony exposure to field-relevant concentrations of <\/span>clothianidin<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>thiamethoxam<\/span><\/a> in pollen while also simultaneously manipulating intracolony genetic heterogeneity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Genetic diversity, as a result of <\/span>queen polyandry<\/span><\/a> (a queen bee mating with multiple drones), can improve colony function, health, and fitness. As the study shares, \u201cA wealth of studies have linked increased queen polyandry to reduced parasite (including <\/span>Varroa<\/span><\/i>) pressure in colonies,\u201d which led the researchers to study the effects on colony vitality with increased polyandry.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe used brood exchange (transplantation) treatments to simulate the effects of a higher degree of polyandry in a colony. We tested whether this induced period of genetic heterogeneity not only improved colony health (for example, better brood survivorship, greater pollen foraging, reduced parasitic <\/span>Varroa<\/span><\/i> pressure, and increased queen survival) but also whether it improved colony tolerance to exposure of a mix of 2 common agricultural <\/span>neonicotinoids<\/span><\/a> (clothianidin and thiamethoxam) fed to colonies in contaminated pollen,\u201d the authors write.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Data was collected across three sites at the University of Delaware, University of Georgia, and Auburn University in Alabama. The honey bee colonies were force-fed clean pollen patties or pollen patties dosed with the two neonicotinoid insecticides and were denied the importation of foraged pollen by pollen traps being placed at all colony entrances. \u201cNeonicotinoid-dosed patties were supplemented with 4.5 ng g<\/span>\u22121<\/span><\/sup> thiamethoxam<\/span><\/a> (Sigma-Aldrich) and 1.5 ng g<\/span>\u22121<\/span><\/sup> clothianidin<\/span><\/a> (Sigma-Aldrich) at the mixing stage,\u201d the researchers note. \u201cThese concentrations reflect those found in pollen from flowering crops and crop-adjacent wildflowers in agricultural systems using these neonicotinoids.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The colony responses assessed at all sites include \u201csize (capped brood area), queen survival (whether marked queens were confirmed as still present), pollen (mass of corbicular pollen gathered in 24 h), aggression (recruitment of guard bees to colony entrance following alarm pheromone exposure), per-capita <\/span>Varroa<\/span><\/i> parasitism (phoretic mites washed using ethanol from 300 adult bees), <\/span>Varroa<\/span><\/i> mite drop (mite drop rate onto sticky screen colony bottom boards), comb construction (area of comb constructed onto undrawn frame inserted for 24 h), and brood survival (proportion of identified L1\u2013L2 larvae that survived to capping),\u201d the authors report.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, the researchers, \u201cfind evidence of a detrimental effect of neonicotinoid exposure on colonies, where both mite drop rates and mite wash counts were higher in colonies exposed to neonicotinoids; colonies exposed to neonicotinoids had on average 5.3 more mites drop in 24 h and 1.11 more phoretic mites per 100 bees.” They continue in saying, \u201cWe found that field-relevant neonicotinoid exposure increased the severity of <\/span>Varroa<\/span><\/i> parasitism rates in exposed colonies. We did not find evidence supporting the hypothesis that this negative effect could be mitigated by increased genetic diversity in the colony, as in no instance did we find a significant interaction between pesticide exposure and brood mixing. Additionally, we found no evidence that increased genetic diversity compensated for the negative effects of the neonicotinoids, as the 2 treatments did not overlap in which colony phenotypes they significantly affected. We did, however, confirm the beneficial effects of increased genetic diversity in the form of improved brood survival.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Entomology Today<\/span><\/i> article reiterates that the authors did not initially seek to find effects on <\/span>Varroa<\/span><\/i> mites with a quote from Dr. Bartlett: \u201c\u2018We didn\u2019t expect to find our main result at all…The only negative effect we observed was the increased severity of parasitism, presumably due to some <\/span>immunosuppression<\/span><\/a>,\u2019 Bartlett says.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the original study emphasizes, \u201cAgrochemical exposure is a major contributor to ecological declines worldwide, including the loss of crucial pollinator species. In addition to direct toxicity, field-relevant doses of pesticides can increase species\u2019 vulnerabilities to other stressors, including parasites… Both wild and managed bees are threatened by interacting combinations of stressors, including forage loss, parasite pressures, and exposure to agrochemicals, including pesticides.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most notably, pollinators are severely impacted by <\/span>neonicotinoids<\/span><\/a>, a class of insecticides that share a common mode of action that affects the central nervous system of insects. Studies show that neonicotinoid residues accumulate in the pollen and nectar of treated plants and represent a risk to pollinators by causing paralysis and death upon exposure. While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a system in place for risk assessment pertaining to pesticides that impact bees that includes a tiered process, there are <\/span>many flaws in place regarding the assessments and regulations<\/span><\/a> of neonicotinoids. (See more on Beyond Pesticides\u2019 coverage of EPA\u2019s risk assessment shortcomings <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the study authors maintain, \u201cAgricultural pesticides are known to interact in their toxicity, leading to suspicions that their dangers to bee pollinators are underestimated.\u201d Not only are there <\/span>synergistic effects<\/span><\/a> between pesticides, but they also <\/span>interact with other environmental pollutants<\/span><\/a> and cause greater harm to organisms and the environment. As seen in the body of science that this study adds to, neonicotinoids and <\/span>Varroa<\/span><\/i> mites are interacting stressors for bees that also have synergy. Previous studies have shown how the interacting stressors of neonicotinoids and mites can cause <\/span>70% reductions in overwintering honey bee survival<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Additional studies have found that <\/span>bee-toxic neonics do not provide any benefits<\/span><\/a> to agriculture, and only <\/span>sow seeds of doubt<\/span><\/a>. The <\/span>impact of pesticides on bees<\/span><\/a> is an unreasonable amount of harm, even with any potential benefits, according to environmental advocates. Populations of bees continue to <\/span>decline,<\/span><\/a> which threatens pollinator\u2019s critical contribution to plant health, crop productivity, and the preservation of natural resources.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The researchers remark, \u201cThere is no shortage of observational and experimental studies emphasizing the synergistic impacts of pesticide and parasite exposure on honey bee health, including neonicotinoid and <\/span>Varroa<\/span><\/i> pressure. Moreover, field observations have explicitly linked <\/span>neonicotinoid exposure to vulnerability to <\/span>Varroa<\/span><\/i><\/a>, with crucial laboratory studies… demonstrating how the neonicotinoid clothianidin increases <\/span>Varroa<\/span><\/i> reproduction rates due to reducing honey bee hemolytic immune response. Our work completes this literature body by showing that the individual-level findings… are mirrored at the colony level with contaminated pollen and is the first (to our knowledge) demonstration of this link between neonicotinoid and <\/span>Varroa<\/span><\/i> parasitism using a manipulated field experiment.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These results, specific to honey bees, may not represent all bee species. As previously covered by Beyond Pesticides, <\/span>pesticide sensitivity in different species can vary dramatically<\/span><\/a>. The authors of this study confirm that notion in saying, \u201cWhile our neonicotinoid treatments were at field-realistic doses, honey bees may be more resilient in the face of these pesticides compared to other bees.\u201d This could leave other bee species even more vulnerable than the honey bees that experienced increased parasitism in this experiment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The authors conclude that, \u201cThe combination of pesticide exposure and parasitism has antagonistic, additive, or synergistic impacts on honeybee health compared to either effect in isolation… The impact of the neonicotinoid in increasing <\/span>Varroa<\/span><\/i> populations both in absolute terms and in per-capita parasitism is in agreement with laboratory and observational studies and with this present work has now been demonstrated in the field, contributing to a large body of literature on the multiple and interacting stressors on pollinators. It is a notable finding that we confirm in-field that neonicotinoids can exacerbate the abundance of the parasite <\/span>Varroa<\/span><\/i>, which is arguably the single most severe contributor to managed honey bee losses in the United States.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Given these interacting stressors, <\/span>organic agriculture<\/span><\/a> is understood to be the solution. <\/span>Without the use of harmful pesticides like neonics<\/span><\/a>, the threat to bees and other pollinator species can be diminished. Alternatives are available for sustainable agricultural practices and for reducing parasites in hives. Research suggests that <\/span>growing sunflowers near honey bee colonies help in reducing mite problems<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>Organic beekeeping practices<\/span><\/a> are proven successful, as is <\/span>organic crop production<\/span><\/a>. Worldwide adoption of organic land management practices continues to increase, with <\/span>entire towns going pesticide free<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Protecting honey bees<\/span><\/a> and pollinators from pesticides is crucial to <\/span>agricultural and economic productivity<\/span><\/a>, as well as food security. <\/span>Take action<\/span><\/a> to advance organic, sustainable, and regenerative practices and policies. Be part of the organic solution by <\/span>becoming a member<\/span><\/a> of Beyond Pesticides today and subscribe to the <\/span>Daily News<\/span><\/a> to see the latest information on the health and environmental hazards of pesticides, pesticide regulation and policy, pesticide alternatives, and cutting-edge science.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Source<\/span><\/b>:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bartlett, L.J. et al. (2024) Neonicotinoid exposure increases <\/span>Varroa destructor<\/span><\/i> (<\/span>Mesostigmata<\/span><\/i>: <\/span>Varroidae<\/span><\/i>) mite parasitism severity in honey bee colonies and is not mitigated by increased colony genetic diversity, <\/span>Journal of Insect Science<\/span><\/i>. Available at: <\/span>https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jinsectscience\/article\/24\/3\/20\/7683866<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides, July 10, 2024) An article last month in Entomology Today, a publication of the Entomological Society of America, highlights the important findings of a study published earlier this year in the Journal of Insect Science. While there has been debate on whether neonicotinoid (neonic) insecticides or Varroa mites (Varroa destructor) are more detrimental to the survival of bees, evidence suggests that neonicotinoids are not only harmful individually but can increase vulnerability to parasitism from mites in western honey bees (Apis mellifera). The Entomology Today article reads: \u201cSome researchers and organizations have pointed to neonics as directly harming bees. Others have pointed to other issues, like Varroa mite infestation, as more hazardous to honey bee populations.\u201d There is scientific evidence supporting each claim, as both cause stress to bee species that can lead to population decline. The study in the Journal of Science, however, is \u201cthe first experimental field demonstration of how neonicotinoid exposure can increase V. destructor populations in honey bees and also demonstrates that colony genetic diversity cannot mitigate the effects of neonicotinoid pesticides.”\u00a0 As the article states, \u201cThe researchers were not looking for impacts on Varroa mites at first. Instead, they were looking to understand how […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[348,157,347,93,421,195,13],"tags":[452,1157,1745,1743,442,1664,1742,1741,1744],"class_list":["post-35795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beneficials","category-clothianidin","category-increased-vulnerability-to-diseases-from-chemical-exposure","category-pollinators","category-synergistic-effects","category-thiamethoxam","category-wildlifeenvironment","tag-clothianidin","tag-honey-bee","tag-immunosuppresion","tag-parasitism","tag-pollinators","tag-synergistic-effects","tag-thiamethoxam","tag-varroa-mites","tag-vulnerability"],"yoast_head":"\nNeonicotinoid Insecticides Contribute to Honey Bee Vulnerability to Parasitic Varroa Mites - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vulnerability in honey bees to Varroa mites increases with exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides, as shown by a recent study.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2024\/07\/neonicotinoid-insecticides-contribute-to-honey-bee-vulnerability-to-parasitic-varroa-mites\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Neonicotinoid Insecticides Contribute to Honey Bee Vulnerability to Parasitic Varroa Mites - 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The founders, who established Beyond Pesticides (originally as National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides) as a nonprofit membership organization in 1981, felt that without the existence of such an organized, national network, local, state and national pesticide policy would become, under chemical industry pressure, increasingly unresponsive to public health and environmental concerns. Beyond Pesticides believes that people must have a voice in decisions that affect them directly. We believe decisions should not be made for us by chemical companies or by decision-makers who either do not have all of the facts or refuse to consider them. Learn more about our work, read A Year in Review\u20142021, our accomplishments are your victories! Beyond Pesticides seeks to protect healthy air, water, land, and food for ourselves and future generations. By forging ties with governments, nonprofits, and people who rely on these natural resources, we reduce the need for unnecessary pesticide use and protect public health and the environment. Beyond Pesticides provides hands-on services to the public and supports local action by: identifying and interpreting hazards; and, designing safe pest management programs. With the information provided by Beyond Pesticides, people may not only be able to make informed choices and adopt practices that protect themselves and their families from unnecessary exposure to pesticides, but they will be able to effect changes on community-wide pest management decisions and policies that govern pesticide use, such as pesticide uses in parks, schools, for community insect control and along roadsides. 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