Bob Yirka is a writer for Phys.org.
A bee is in 2019. The OSU College of Forestry is a part of the Oregon State University.
A pair of researchers at the University of California, Davis have found that the pesticide imidacloprid can reduce the fertility of the blue orchard bee. The group describes how they tested the response of the valuable pollinator to the presence of imidacloprid.
Imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid pesticide, is harmful to bees of all types. The researchers note that little work has been done to determine if the chemical has a long-term impact on bees. The team wanted to find out if the pesticide harms not just the bees that are impacted by it, but also their offspring.
They captured a large number of blue orchard bees, a type that is similar to the honeybee but has different coloring and collects pollen on its belly instead of its legs. It is important for farmers to grow tree-bearing crops. The bees were separated into small groups and exposed to different ways. The researchers applied the pesticide to the plants. Some of the plants received multiple doses. Some of the bees were exposed to the chemical while still in the beginning stages of development, while others were young and mature. Some were exposed more than once during their life cycle.
The researchers found that bee offspring produced 20% fewer after being exposed to the chemical. Multiple exposures led to fewer offspring. Approximately 10 fewer offspring out of a normal group of 24 were represented by those that were exposed as larvae and exposed again as adults.
The findings show that the use of imidacloprid on agricultural crops can lead to dramatic reductions in bee populations due to reductions in fertility rates.
Clara Stuligross and her team have shown that past exposure to pesticides reduces bee reproduction and population growth rate. There is a book titled "10.1073/pnas.2109909118".
The National Academy of Sciences has a journal.
The Science X Network will be launched in 2021.
The pesticide was found to reduce fertility in the blue orchard bee.
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