Influence of agrochemicals fipronil and imidacloprid on the learning behavior of Apis mellifera L. honeybees

Marcela   Pedraza Carrillo; Thaís   de Souza Bovi; Adriana   Fava Negrão; Ricardo   de Oliveira Orsi

Influence of agrochemicals fipronil and imidacloprid on the learning behavior of Apis mellifera L. honeybees

Autores

Marcela Pedraza Carrillo

Thaís de Souza Bovi

Adriana Fava Negrão

Ricardo de Oliveira Orsi

Editor

Universidade Estadual de Maringá

Descripción

Agrochemicals on crop cultivated areas is a source of contamination for bees and may cause physiological and behavioral disorders and mortality. The LD 50 of the pesticides fipronil and imidacloprid was determined and their effect on the learning behavior of Apis mellifera L. honeybee evaluated. LD 50 was determined by the ingestion of contaminated food with different concentrations of insecticide concentrations: Fipronil (0, 0. 8, 0.4, 0.2, 0.1 and 0.05 μ g bee -1 ) and imidacloprid (0, 0.4, 0.2, 0.1, 0.05 and 0.025 μ g bee -1 ). The method of proboscis extension reflecti on (PER) and learning through citral odor evaluated their responses to food stimulation. LD 50 obtained were 0.28 ± 0.11 and 0.10 ± 0.04 μ g bee -1 for fipronil and imidacloprid, respectively. The PER test showed no significant difference (p < 0.05) although agrochemicals affected the learning of bees. Insecticid es fipronil and imidacloprid are extremely harmful to foraging Africanized Apis mellifera bees.