Uludağ Arıcılık Dergisi / Uludağ Bee Journal

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    Effects of thiamethoxam on the behavior of foraging honey bees with artificial flower choices
    (Uludağ Üniversitesi, 2018-02-15) Hranitz, John M.; Blatzheim, Lauren; Bower, Corey D.; Polk, Trimelle; Levinson, Brianna; Wells, Harington; Çakmak, İbrahim; Arıcılık Geliştirme Uygulama Geliştirme ve Araştırma Merkezi
    The effects of thiamethoxam were studied on the foraging behavior of free-flying bees (Apis mellifera anatoliaca) visiting artificial flower patches of blue and white flowers. Thiamethoxam doses from 2 % to 40 % of the reported LD50 value were given to bees. The study consisted of three experimental parts performed sequentially without interruption. In part 1, we offered bees 6 μL of a 1M sucrose reward in both flower colors. In part 2 we offered bees 6 μL of 1.5 M sucrose solution in blue flowers and 6 μL of 0.5 M sucrose solution in white flowers. In part 3 we reversed the sucrose solution rewards values with respect to flower color. Each experiment began 30 min after administration of the insecticide. The number of bees foraged was recorded, as was flower patch visitation rate, number of flowers visited and flower choices of the bees that did return. The forager return rate declined linearly with increasing thiamethoxam dose and number of foraging trips of returning bees was also affected adversely. Out of 96 bees, the majority of unreturned (50) bees belonged to higher dosages of thiomethoxam groups. However, flower fidelity was not affected by thiamethoxam dose. Foragers visited both blue and white flowers extensively in experimental part 1 and showed greater fidelity for the flower color offering the higher molarity reward in parts 2 but there were less visits to flowers offering the higher molarity reward in part 3 indicating that the bees failed to learn what were the flowers with higher reward. Our study showed that thiamethoxam affected: the number of returning bees, the number of foraging trips and reward re-learning.