Pesticide toxicity to bees 1429257 214227487 2008-05-22T17:14:32Z Dyanega 1357080 Colony Collapse Disorder is unrelated to pesticides '''[[Pesticides]]''' vary in their effect on '''[[bees]]'''. Contact [[insecticide]]s, those which kill by touching the organism, affect the [[worker bee]] that is directly sprayed. Systemic insecticides, those that are incorporated by treated plants, can contaminate [[nectar]] or [[pollen]], and kill bees in the [[beehive|hive]]. Dusts and wettable powders tend to be more hazardous to bees than solutions or emulsifiable concentrates. Actual damage to bee populations is a function of the degree of toxicity of the compound, in combination with the mode of application; a highly potent insecticide applied only to the soil, for instance, would be expected to kill mainly soil-dwelling insects, such as [[grub]]s or [[mole cricket]]s, and not bees. ==Classification of pesticide toxicity== Insecticide toxicity is generally measured using [[LD50]] - the exposure level that causes 50% of the population exposed to die. Toxicity thresholds are generally set at * highly toxic (acute LD50 less than 2[[μg]]/bee) * moderately toxic (acute LD50 2ug/bee to 10.99μg/bee) * slightly toxic (acute LD50 11ug/bee to 100μg/bee) * practically non-toxic (acute LD50 more than 100μg/bee) to adult bees. <ref>[http://www.agr.wa.gov/pestfert/Pesticides/docs/PollinatorSLNSect18.pdf] Pollinator protection requirements for Section 18 Emergency Exemptions and Section 24(c) special local need registration in [[Washington|Washington State]]; Registration Services Program Pesticide Management Division Washington State Dept of Agriculture, Dec 2006</ref> <ref>Hunt, G.J.; [http://www.entm.purdue.edu/Entomology/ext/targets/e-series/EseriesPDF/E-216.pdf Using honey bees in pollination] [[Purdue University]], May 2000 </ref> LD50 is an incomplete measure of toxicity to bees and other [[social insects]] because it is a measure of individual toxicity, not colony toxicity. It does not account for the ways in which bee behavior can mitigate or exacerbate the effects of the pesticide on the colony. For example, a moderate to low toxicity pesticide (by LD50 measurement) which is used in granular form and is collected and concentrated along with pollen can be highly lethal to the colony. On the other hand, a pesticide which is so toxic that the exposed bees die in the field can be less dangerous to the colony than a less toxic pesticide which allows the exposed bees to return to the hive and contaminate their fellows. Likewise, a highly toxic pesticide (according to LD50 measures) is "safe" for bees if it is applied on a grass lawn or other location without blooming flowers which would attract the bees. Furthermore, LD50 studies are conducted against adult bees and do not measure the effects on [[larvae]], etc. ==Bee kill rate per hive== The kill rate of bees in a single bee hive can be classified as: :< 100 bees per day - normal die off rate :200-400 bees per day - low kill :500-900 bees per day - moderate kill :> 1000 bees per day - high kill ==Bee Toxic Pesticides== ===Highly toxic and banned in the US=== *[http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts1.html Aldrin] banned by US EPA in 1974 *[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/carbofur.htm carbofuran] (banned in granular form) *[http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts1.html dieldrin] banned by US EPA in 1974 *[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/heptachl.htm heptachlor] *[[lindane]], [[BHC]] (banned in [[California]]) {| class="wikitable sortable" !Pesticide Class !Brand name !Generic name !length of residual toxicity !Comments !Bee toxicity |- |[[Carbamate]] |[[Baygon]] |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/propoxur.htm propoxur] | | |highly toxic |- |Carbamate |[[Furadan]] |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/carbofur.htm carbofuran] |7 - 14 days | |highly toxic |- |Carbamate |[[Methomyl|Lannate]] |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/methomyl.htm methomyl] | | |highly toxic |- |Carbamate |Lannate LS | |2 hours + | |highly toxic |- |Carbamate |Mesurol |[[methiocarb]] | | |highly toxic |- |Carbamate |Nudrin |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/methomyl.htm methomy] | | |highly toxic |- |Carbamate |Sevin |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/carbaryl.htm carbaryl] |3 - 7 days | |highly toxic |- |Carbamate |Sevin XLR |[[Carbaryl]] |8 hours @ 1.5 lb/acre (168 kg/km²) or less. |Bees poisoned with carbaryl can take 2-3 days to die, appearing inactive as if cold. It allows them time to take contaminated nectar and pollen back to the colony. Some crops treated with Sevin under the wrong conditions (in bloom, using a dust formulation, with large numbers of bees in the field) have been responsible for disastrous kills. Sevin is one of the United States' most widely used insecticides for a wide variety of insect pests. It is also one of the most toxic to honey bees, in certain formulations. There are formulations, however, which are determined to be less toxic (see tables). Usually, applicator-beekeeper communication can effectively be used to adequately protect bees from Sevin poisoning. |highly toxic |- |[[Organophosphate]] |Afugan |pyrazophos | | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Azodrin |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/monocrot.htm monocrotophos] | | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Baytex |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/fenthion.htm fenthion] | | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Bidrin |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/dicrotop.htm dicrotophos] | | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Cygon |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/dimethoa.htm dimethoate] |3 days |'''banned in the US''' |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Cythion |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/malathio.htm malathion] | | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Dasanit |[[fensulfothion]] | | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |DDVP |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/dichlorv.htm dichlorvos] | | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |De-Fend |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/dimethoa.htm dimethoate] | | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Dibrom |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/naled.htm naled] |16 hours | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Dursban |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/chlorpyr.htm chlorpyrifos] | |'''banned in the US for home and garden use''' |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Dyfonate EC |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/fonofos.htm fonofos] |3 hours | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Gardona |[[tetrachlorvinphos]] | | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Guthion |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/azinopho.htm azinphos-methyl] |2.5 days | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Imidan |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/phosmet.htm phosmet] | | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Lorsban |[[chlorpyrifos]] <sup>[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/chlorpyr.htm]</sup> |4 - 6 days |'''banned in the US for home and garden use''' |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Malathion USB | |>8 fl oz/acre (58 L/km²) ⇒ 5.5 days | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Malathion EC | |2-6 hours | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Metasystox-R |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/demetons.htm oxydemetonmethy] |<2 hours | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Methyl-Guthion |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/azinopho.htm azinphos-methyl] | | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Monitor |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/acephate.htm methamidophos] | | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/parathio.htm parathion] '''Penncap-M''' |[[parathion|methyl parathion]] |5-8 days |By far the most potentially damaging pesticides for honey bees are those packaged in tiny capsules (microencapsulated). Microencapsulated ''methyl parathion'' (PennCap M), for example, is a liquid formulation containing capsules approximately the size of pollen grains which contain the active ingredient. When bees are out in the field, these capsules can become attached electrostatically to the pollen-collecting hairs of the insects, and at times are collected by design. When stored in pollen, the slow-release feature of the capsules allows the methyl parathion to be a potential killer for several months. At the present time, there is no way to detect whether bees are indeed poisoned by micro-encapsulated methyl parathion, so a beekeeper potentially could lose replacement bees for those already poisoned by the pesticide. It is, therefore, strongly recommended by experts that this formulation be used only when honey bee exposure is not a possibility. |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Spectracide |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/diazinon.htm diazinon] | | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Sumithion |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/fenitrot.htm fenitrothion] | | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Supracide |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/methidat.htm methidathion] | | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Tameron |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/methamid.htm methamidophos] | | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Thimet EC |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/phorate.htm phorate] |5 hours | |highly toxic |- |Organophosphate |Vapona |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/dichlorv.htm dichlorvos] | | |highly toxic |- |[[Pyrethroid|Synthetic pyrethroid]] |Ambush |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/permethr.htm permethrin] |1 - 2 days |safened by repellency under arid conditions. Permethrin is also the active ingredient in insecticides used against the [[Small hive beetle]], which is a [[parasite]] of the [[beehive (beekeeping)|beehive]] in the temperate climate regions. |highly toxic |- |Synthetic pyrethroid |Ammo |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/cypermet.htm cypermethrin] |Less than 2 hours | |highly toxic |- |Synthetic pyrethroid |Asana |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/esfenval.htm esfenvalerate] |1 day |safened by repellency under arid conditions |highly toxic |- |Synthetic pyrethroid |Pounce |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/permethr.htm permethrin] |1 - 2 days |safened by repellency under arid conditions |highly toxic |- |Synthetic pyrethroid |Pydrin |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/esfenval.htm esfenvalerate] |6 hours | |highly toxic |- |Synthetic pyrethroid |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/resmethr.htm resmethrin] | | | |highly toxic |- |Chlorinated [[cyclodiene]] |DMDT, Marlate |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/methoxyc.htm methoxychlor] |2 hours | |highly toxic |- |Chlorinated [[cyclodiene]] |Thiodan |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/endosulf.htm endosulfan] |8 hours | |moderately toxic |- |Chloronicotines |[[Imidacloprid]] | | |(see also [[Imidacloprid effects on bee population]]) |highly toxic |- | |Dimecron |[[phosphamidon]] | | |highly toxic |- | |Famophos |[[famphur]] | | |highly toxic |- | |Phosdrin |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/mevinpho.htm mevinphos] | | |highly toxic |- | |phosphamidon |[[Dimecron]] | | |highly toxic |- | |Systox |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/demetons.htm demeton] |<2 hours | |highly toxic |- | |[[Tepp]] | | |most toxic to bees LD<sub>50</sub> 0.001 micrograms per bee but short residual activity |highly toxic |- | |Zectran |[http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/summary.tcl?edf_substance_id=315-18-4 mexacarbate] | | |highly toxic |- | |Orthene |[http://www.ipmofalaska.com/files/acephate.html acephate] |3 days | |Moderately toxic |- | |demeton-s-methyl | | | |Moderately toxic |- | |Checkmite |[http://www.hclrss.demon.co.uk/coumaphos.html coumaphos] | |This is an organo phosphate insecticide that is used inside the [[beehive (beekeeping)|beehive]] to combat [[varroa mite]]s and [[small hive beetle]]s, which are [[parasite]]s of the honey bee. Overdoses can lead to bee poisoning. |Relatively non-toxic |- | |Endosulfan | | | |Relatively non-toxic |- | |dicofol | | | |Relatively non-toxic |- | |[[pirimicarb]] | | | |Relatively non-toxic |- | |petroleum oils | | | |Relatively non-toxic |- | |most pyrethroid chemicals | | | |Relatively non-toxic |- | |Temik |[[aldicarb]] | |apply 4 weeks before bloom |Relatively non-toxic |- | |Dylox |[[trichlorfon]] |3 - 6 hours | |Relatively non-toxic |- | |[[2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid|2,4-D]] [[herbicide]] |[http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/24-D.htm] | | |Relatively non-toxic |} '''Source:''' [http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/insects/g1347.htm Protecting Bees When Using Insecticides] [[University of Nebraska]] Lincoln, Extension, May 1998 ===Common insecticides toxic to bees and used on soybeans=== Many [[insecticide]]s used against [[soybean aphid]]s are highly toxic to bees. *Orthene 75S ([[acephate]]) *Address 75 WSP ([[acephate]]) *Sevin (Carbaryl) *Lorsban 4E (Chlorpyrifos) *Dimate (Dimethoate) *Steward 1.25 SC (Indoxacarb) *Lannate (Methomyl) *Cheminova Methyl 4EC (Methyl Parathion) *Penncap M (microencapsulated Methyl [[Parathion]]) *Tracer ([[Spinosad]]) ==See also== *[[Bees and toxic chemicals]] *[[Colony Collapse Disorder]] *[[Endangered arthropod]] *[[Pesticide misuse]] *[[Pollinator decline]] ==References== <references/> ==Sources== *[http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/entomology/extension/InsectInfo/Soybean/Soybean%20Insecticides.html Commonly Used Insecticides for Soybeans] [[Kansas State University]] Extension, Aug 2004 ==External links== *[http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bees_pesticides.html Honey Bees and Pesticides], 1978, [[MAAREC|Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium]] *Mayer, D.F., Johansen, C.A. & Baird, C.R.; [http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/pnw0518/pnw0518.pdf ''How to Reduce Bee Poisoning from Pesticides''], PNW518, A Pacific Northwest Extension Publication, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Copyright 1999 Washington State University. Includes an extensive list of toxic chemicals such as pesticides that affect bees. *[http://ndsuext.nodak.edu/extpubs/plantsci/pests/e494w.htm#highly McBride, Dean k.; Protecting Honeybees From Pesticides, 1997] [[North Dakota State University]] *Sanford, Malcolm T.; [http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AA145 Protecting Honey Bees From Pesticides], [[University of Florida]] Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension, April 1993 *[http://www.epa.gov/opppmsd1/PR_Notices/pr2001-5.pdf US EPA Pesticide Registration (PR) Notice 2001-5] [[Category:Beekeeping]] [[Category:Insecticides]] [[Category:Insecticide brands]]