Abstract
Honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica) colonies were placed in two apple orchards treated with the insecticides diazinon and thiacloprid and the fungicide difenoconazole in accordance with a Protection Treatment Plan in the spring of 2007. Pollen and bee bread were collected from combs inside the hives. The residue of diazinon in pollen loads 10 days after orchard treatment was 0.09 mg/kg, and the same amount of residue was found in bee bread 16 days after treatment. In pollen loads 6 days after application 0.03 mg/kg of thiacloprid residues and 0.01 mg/kg of difenoconazole were found on the first day after application. Possible sub-lethal effects on individual honey bees and brood are discussed.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank to Roman Mavec and Janez Markuta, heads of the experimental orchards at Brdo and Čadovlje for their collaboration which made the experiments possible. Thanks are also due to Marjan Kokalj for his technical assistance and help in collecting samples. This study was funded by the Slovenian Research Agency, Project Number L7-7602 and V4-0484.
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Smodiš Škerl, M.I., Velikonja Bolta, Š., Baša Česnik, H. et al. Residues of Pesticides in Honeybee (Apis mellifera carnica) Bee Bread and in Pollen Loads from Treated Apple Orchards. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 83, 374–377 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-009-9762-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-009-9762-0