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

Included in

Apiculture Commons

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