Pesticides a threat to honey bees
- 1. Bee Aware! Pesticides, A Threat to “HONEY BEES” PresentedBy AaliyaAfroz M.Sc.(Ag.)Entomology
- 2. Introduction Honeybees:- • Order: Hymenoptera. • Most common species: Apis mellifera • Producers of honey(a natural product which has no substitute and bee wax). • Live in a beehive. • Up to 20,000 individuals live in a hive. • Works together in a specialized social organisation. • Primary pollinators for over 50 fruits and vegetables.
- 3. Importance of Honey Bees as Pollinators • Essential to the production of more than 90 crops. • 1 out of every 3 bites of food we eat daily can be attributed to pollinators. • Pollinate most of our food crops and wild flowers. • Provide a highly valued ecosystem service. • Support wider biodiversity. • USDA valued pollination at $20-$30 billion annually.(May 2013 report).
- 4. •A single beekeeper (almonds, blueberries, pumpkins apples and cherries) - $5 million value to the agricultural economy. •Some of the crops which honey bee pollinates- - Apples - Blueberries - Cucumbers - Squash - Pumpkin - Watermelon - Strawberries - Peaches - Blackberries - Raspberries Partially pollinated and Completely cucumber
- 5. 750,000+ acres of almonds in Central CA require 1.5 million colonies of honey bees for pollination. NO BEES , NO NUTS
- 6. Utility of Honey Bees
- 7. Present Situation of Honey Bee • The plight of our bees is of concern to all of us since populations of honey bees and other pollinators have declined worldwide in recent years. • A variety of stressors, including agricultural pesticides. • Since 1900, the UK has lost 20 species of bee and a further 35 bee species are considered to be under threat of extinction.
- 8. What’s Buzzing Bees in India • Since around 2002, farmers in Odisha, Kerala, Punjab, Maharashtra and Tripura have been noticing that fewer bees visit their fields each year. • Three studies released around 2012 narrowed down the cause to neonicotinoids, for bees functioning . • 1st study- Pesticides makes them age faster. • 2nd study- Land with lower pesticide ,higher diversity of bee species.
- 9. • 3rd study- Lost their sense of smell – and so were unable to return to their hives. CASE STUDY-May 2, 2014
- 12. Production Volume of Honey Across India from FY 2015 to FY 2017 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 Production volume in 1000 metric tons
- 13. Your breakfast with bees Your breakfast without bees Scientific American April 2009 Value of crops that depend on pollination: $217 billion worldwide
- 14. Factors Contributing to Honey Bee Losses (Colony Collapse Disorder) Parasites Pathogens Poor nutrition Pesticides
- 15. Contd...
- 16. Pesticides Pesticide- A substance used for killing/repelling pests. • Most honey bee losses from 1966-1979 were attributable to organochlorine, carbamate, organophosphate, and pyrethroid pesticide exposure. Why pesticides are harmful to honey bees? • Honey bee genome is deficient in the number of genes encoding detoxification enzymes, including cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s), glutathione-S-transferases, and carboxylesterases.
- 18. Honey bee colony decline Low concentrations found in nectar and treated crops Can accumulate in soil
- 19. Contd.
- 20. Pesticide Toxicity in Honey Bees Acute toxicity of insecticides and fungicides to honeybee, A.cerana and A. mellifera
- 21. Pollinator Poisoning can occur from: • Direct exposure during application. • Residues picked up through foraging (pollen and nectar) and taken back to the hive. • Residues from non-crop plants. (ground cover, field edges, ditches, etc.) • Contamination in time with sub-lethal doses that can cause lethal chronic effects. iStockphoto .com
- 22. Symptoms of bee poisoning • Dead bees near the entrance of hive or colonies. • Dead bees on the top of frames or bottom board. • Fighting among bees. • Paralyzed bees crawling on nearby objects. • Sudden decline in food storage and brood rearing. • Dead and deserted brood in the hive. • Poor recognition of pollen and nectar by bees. • Depleted population of the colony. • Finally results in contamination of bee products.
- 23. Devastating honey bee insecticides Synergistic effects Prochloraz(fungicide) Deltamethrin (insecticide) Sub lethal effects Movement -Parathion Harvesting and transport of nectar-Diazinon Flight guidance- Deltamethri n Acute Chronic Effect of pesticides on honey bees Contd..
- 24. Contd.. Source of poisoning Carrying poison to hive
- 25. Active substance (brand name) Toxicity Residual activity Time of application Acephate (Orthene) 3 days NF Acetamiprid (Assail) ANN Carbaryl (Sevin) 3-7days NF Chlorpyrifos (Lorsban) 4-6days NF Deltametrin (Decis) 4 hours ANN Endosulfan (Thiodan) <8hours AN Imidacloprid (Admire) <8hours AN Characteristics of Pesticides commonly used in Plant Protection and their Toxicity to Honey Bees Insecticides
- 26. Active substance (brand name) Toxicity Time of application Captan (Captan) NF Iprodione (Roval) NF Mancozeb (Manzate) ATT Active substance (brand name) Toxicity Time of application Bifenazate (Acramite) ANN Dicofol (Kelthane) ATT Spiromesifen (Forbid) ATT Fungicides Acaricides
- 27. Active substance (brand name) Toxicity Time of application 2,4-D (ester) ATT Glyphosate (Round-up) ATT Trifluralin (Treflan) ATT Herbiciades Time of Application- NF- not to be applied on flowering plants AN- to be applied in the evening ANN- to be applied in the evening, night and early morning ATT- can be applied any time
- 28. Case studies of Neonicotinoid Insecticides- • In 2013, the European Food Safety Authority(EFSA) restricted neonicotinoids which posed a “high acute risk” to honey bees. • In August 2016, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology linked use of neonicotinoids on oilseed rape over 18 years to declines of different honey bee species. Honey bees exposed to neonicotinoids were “on average three times more negatively affected".
- 29. Neonicotinoid Insecticides • Use of neonicotinoid pesticides has been a continuous issue in recent years. Mode of Action Paralysis and ultimately death Taken up by plant tissuesMixed with seed or in irrigation water
- 30. • Recognize Pollinator Foraging Habits. • Recognize Residual toxicity. • ERT pesticides may not be applied to blooming crops or weeds. Groups with ERT- Organophosphates (e.g., acephate, chlorpyrifos, malathion). Carbamates (e.g., carbaryl). Neonicotnioids (e.g., imidacloprid). Pyrethroids (e.g., deltamethrin and cyfluthrin). What can be done?
- 31. Sun up Sun down #offoragers Time of Day A Honey Bee’s (Daily) Life Honey bees forage sun up to sun down unless it’s raining
- 32. Sun up Sun down #offoragers Time of Day Kills Bees Best OK if little residueOK if no residue Best time for Pesticide Application: Dusk to Dawn
- 33. Management of bee poisoning • Bee colonies should be maintained where use and drift of pesticide is minimum. • Close co-operation with farmers to avoid irrational use of pesticides. • Feeding of colonies with sugar syrup at the time of pesticide application to reduce bee foraging.
- 34. Management practices to be followed by the farmers • Need based use of pesticide. • Informing the bee keepers in advance about the spray. • Use of less hazardous insecticides. • Granules, EC are preferred compared to dusts. • Avoid formulations with attractants. • Spraying in the evening when the bee activity subsides.
- 35. Conclusion • Exposure of honey bees to pesticides is a continuous challenge because of newly formulated pesticides each year. • A single worker honey bee can contaminate the whole hive. • Insecticide treatments should not be recommended in plantations and crops during flowering, but at proper time.
- 36. Contd.. • Implementation of practical steps, backed by interdisciplinary research, is necessary for ecological function, agricultural production, and human health. • Joint decision making by gov. agencies, agrichemical, food production and retail industries are required. • This is achievable and vital as we move toward integrated approaches to landscape management, which balance provisioning and other ecosystem services to improve sustainable resource security.
- 37. Thank you WHENWE GO, WE ARE TAKING YOU ALL WITH US