Graduation Date
Spring 2022
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Science degree with a major in Biology
Committee Chair Name
Ethan Gahtan
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Paul Bourdeau
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Irene Gonzalez-Herrera
Third Committee Member Affiliation
Community Member or Outside Professional
Fourth Committee Member Name
Stephanie Byers
Fourth Committee Member Affiliation
Community Member or Outside Professional
Keywords
Honey bees, Apis mellifera, Mosquito insecticides, Mosquito adulticides, D-Phenothrin, Pyrithroids, Honey bee behavior, Forraging behavior, RFID, Ultra low volume
Subject Categories
Biology
Abstract
The main aim of this study was to quantify the effects of mosquito insecticides on honey bee (Apis mellifera), foraging behavior, explicitly assessing the impacts of adult mosquito control practices on honey bee health. The extent to which honey bees are exposed to pyrethrum, pyrethrins, permethrin, and pyrethroids is unknown, as are their effects on honey bee health and vitality. This study sought to answer this question by exposing honey bees to D-Phenothrin with the addition of Piperonyl butoxide (PBO), one of many synthetic pyrethroids widely used against adult mosquitoes to control mosquito-borne diseases. Honey bees were exposed to nonlethal concentrations of D-Phenothrin, and D-Phenothrin with the addition of piperonyl butoxide (PBO), and the effects on hive trips (foraging and short trips) were analyzed using a field study where foraging bees were tracked using Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags attached to the thorax. These performance measures were selected for their relevance to bees’ ability to survive in nature. Although D-Phenothrin is an axonic excitotoxin that prevents the closure of voltage-gated sodium channels of axonal membranes, foragers exposed to nonlethal doses did not show any significance in foraging behavior. With the inclusion of PBO (Primary Hypothesis), D-Phenothrin showed no significant changes in the number of hive trips (foraging or short trips) relative to the control group. Additionally, D-Phenothrin alone (Secondary Hypotheses 1) showed no significant changes in the number of hive trips (foraging or short trips), while the solvent control acetone (Secondary Hypotheses 2) did result in a significant decrease in the number of short/bathroom trips. Honeybees are vital for crop production across the globe. This study is intended to contribute to the scientific understanding of honeybee population declines and ultimately point scientific and agricultural communities toward increasing colony health and vitality and reversing the trend of increasing death rates.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
Diel, Samantha Marie, "Foraging behavior of honeybees exposed to mosquito insecticides" (2022). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 555.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/555