Malaspina, Osmar

Miotelo, Lucas

Nocelli, Roberta C. F.

Roat, Thaisa C.

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Is Apis mellifera a good model for toxicity tests in Brazil?

JKI Open Journal Systems (Julius Kühn-Institut)

Hazards of pesticides to bees - 14th international symposium of the ICP-PR Bee protection group, October 23 – 25 2019, Bern (Switzerland) Abstracts: Poster Julius-Kühn-Archiv, 465, 2020  123 4.6.P Honeybee viruses in novel hosts – Studying agrochemical-pathogen stress combination in wild bees Sara Hellström1, Karsten Seidelmann2, Robert J. Paxton1 1Institut für Biologie/Zoologie, Allgemeine Zoologie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany,  2Institut für Biologie/Zoologie, Abteilung Tierphysiologie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany  E-Mail: sara.hellstroem@zoologie.uni-halle.de DOI 10.5073/jka.2020.465.055 Abstract It has been theorized that agrochemicals can impact the immune response in honeybees, leading to increased sensitivity to pathogens. The link between neonicotinoids and increased severity of gut-parasite Nosema ceranae infection has been experimentally established, while the link between viral pathogen infection outcome and agrochemical exposure remains unclear. Viruses first discovered in honeybees have been found in wild-caught individuals of a variety of bee species, proving the potential of spillover from honeybees to wild bees and may act as pathogens in these novel hosts. As wild solitary bees share the environment with honeybees, they are potentially exposed to similar combinations of pathogen and agrochemical stress. No study has so far tested the combined effects of agrochemical exposure and pathogen pressure on solitary bees. In order to study this relationship, experimental pathogen infection must first be established for the novel hosts. In this study, two wild bee species (Osmia bicornis and Anthophora plumipes) were injected with a fixed titre of three viral honeybee pathogens commonly found across Europe, with the aim to observe if the viruses would replicate in these novel hosts. This pathogenic stressor can then be experimentally combined with agrochemical exposure, in order to locate potential synergistic interaction between pathogen and pesticide. Further experiments will combine infection with gut parasites Apicystis bombi and Crithidia mellificae with exposure to the novel insecticide sulfoxaflor to further evaluate the fitness effect of these combined stressors that wild bees encounter in the agricultural landscape.  4.7.P Is Apis mellifera a good model for toxicity tests in Brazil? Thaisa C. Roat, Lucas Miotelo, Roberta C. F. Nocelli, Osmar Malaspina São Paulo State University (UNESP), CEIS-Center of Studies of Social Insects, Department of Biology, Institue of Biosciences, Avenida 24-a n. 1515 Bela Vista, Rio Claro/SP/Brazil  E-Mail: thaisaroat@yahoo.com.br DOI 10.5073/jka.2020.465.056 Abstract Exposure to pesticides are among the contributing factors related to the reducing pollinators. To register these molecules and release for them use in Brazil, the bee used in toxicity tests is the A. mellifera species, which is a non-native bee. There are questions about whether we should use this species as a model. Thus, it is important to establish the toxicity in different species of bees to verify whether there are differences in the sensitivity to these compounds among the bees. The present study compared oral toxicity (OECD, 213) of thiamethoxam among two species of stinglees bees (Melipona scutellaris and Scaptotrigona postica) and A. mellifera by determining the mean lethal concentration (LC50). The results showed that the stingless bees are more sensitive to the insecticide with a lower LC50 of 0.0543 ng active ingredient (a.i./µL) in M. scutellaris, 0.14 ng a.i/μL.in S. postica compared to 0.227 ng a.i./µL in A. mellifera. These results show that could be harmful to use A. mellifera as model for toxicity tests in Brazil. Thus, the current challenge is to establish the maximum concentrations or limits of environmental contaminants that protect the diversity of bee species in Brazil, comparing the data obtained for A. mellifera to stingless bees, and verify if toxicity tests for a model species are safe and effective at inferring effects on the ecosystem as a whole. 

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Is Apis mellifera a good model for toxicity tests in Brazil?

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