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<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">From: "Stoner,
Kimberly" <Kimberly.Stoner@ct.gov><br>
To: "beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com"
<beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com><br>
Sender: "beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com"
<beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com><br>
Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2012 13:08:34 -0500<br><br>
Not as sexy as zombie bees, but important – particularly where there are
large acreages of corn treated with systemic insecticides. This
paper also came out today in PLOS one – my colleague Brian Eitzer is a
co-author:<br><br>
<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0029268">
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0029268</a>
<br><br>
<b>Multiple Routes of Pesticide Exposure for Honey Bees Living Near
Agricultural Fields<br>
</b><br>
Populations of honey bees and other pollinators have declined worldwide
in recent years. A variety of stressors have been implicated as potential
causes, including agricultural pesticides. Neonicotinoid insecticides,
which are widely used and highly toxic to honey bees, have been found in
previous analyses of honey bee pollen and comb material. However, the
routes of exposure have remained largely undefined. We used LC/MS-MS to
analyze samples of honey bees, pollen stored in the hive and several
potential exposure routes associated with plantings of neonicotinoid
treated maize. Our results demonstrate that bees are exposed to these
compounds and several other agricultural pesticides in several ways
throughout the foraging period. During spring, extremely high levels of
clothianidin and thiamethoxam were found in planter exhaust material
produced during the planting of treated maize seed. We also found
neonicotinoids in the soil of each field we sampled, including unplanted
fields. Plants visited by foraging bees (dandelions) growing near these
fields were found to contain neonicotinoids as well. This indicates
deposition of neonicotinoids on the flowers, uptake by the root system,
or both. Dead bees collected near hive entrances during the spring
sampling period were found to contain clothianidin as well, although
whether exposure was oral (consuming pollen) or by contact (soil/planter
dust) is unclear. We also detected the insecticide clothianidin in pollen
collected by bees and stored in the hive. When maize plants in our field
reached anthesis, maize pollen from treated seed was found to contain
clothianidin and other pesticides; and honey bees in our study readily
collected maize pollen. These findings clarify some of the mechanisms by
which honey bees may be exposed to agricultural pesticides throughout the
growing season. These results have implications for a wide range of
large-scale annual cropping systems that utilize neonicotinoid seed
treatments.<br>
<br>
<br><br>
<b>From:</b> beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com
[<a href="mailto:beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com" eudora="autourl">
mailto:beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Izzy
Hill<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, January 04, 2012 12:59 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Skinner, John A<br>
<b>Cc:</b> Nicole Freeman; beemonitoring@yahoogroups.com<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [beemonitoring] Interesting News Story<br><br>
<br>
Here is the research paper that article was based on. A little less
spin and a little more science: <br>
<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0029639">
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0029639</a>
<br><br>
- Izzy<br><br>
On Wed, Jan 4, 2012 at 12:45 PM, Skinner, John A
<<a href="mailto:jskinner@utk.edu">jskinner@utk.edu</a>>
wrote:<br><br>
Interesting. Zombies! Zowie, What will be reported next? I think I will
wait until I see some real science.<br>
<br>
<b>John A. Skinner <br>
Professor and Apiculture Specialist<br>
University of
Tennessee
<br>
2431 Joe Johnson Drive<br>
205 Ellington Plant Sciences<br>
Knoxville, TN 37996-4560<br>
<a href="tel:%28865%29%20974-0209">(865) 974-0209</a>,
<a href="mailto:jskinner@utk.edu">jskinner@utk.edu</a></b></blockquote>
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