Coeffects of diet and neonicotinoid exposure on honeybee mobility and food choice

Malnutrition and pesticide exposure are severe factors contributing to the current losses of honeybee colonies. As these stressors often occur combined, we studied the synergistic effects of different diets and pesticide exposure on food choice and mobility of Apis mellifera. We fed beehives with different food sources and exposed the bees to sublethal doses of thiacloprid. After that three different types of honey and pollen were offered in separate choice assays and behaviour towards food was recorded. Thiacloprid significantly affected the food choice in the honey assay, increasing the bees' preference of polyfloral honey, while pre-pesticide diet had no influence. The pollen choice remained similar regardless of treatments, as bees always preferred polyfloral pollen. Interestingly, pesticide exposure affected bee mobility differently, depending on the previous diet. These results indicate that the diet is an important factor influencing the susceptibility to pesticides.

Automated summary

The study found that bees showed a preference for polyfloral honey in the honey assay, but their pollen choice remained consistent regardless of treatments. Interestingly, bee mobility after pesticide exposure varied depending on their previous diet. These results suggest that diet is a crucial factor influencing bees' susceptibility to pesticides.