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Subject:
Effects of transgenic products on honeybees
From:
Peter Loring Borst <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 23 Sep 2012 13:56:08 +0000
Content-Type:
text/plain
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> Honeybees are economically significant pollinators of a number of crops, and they are widely considered as beneficial insects in many natural and agro-ecosystems. Thus, the honeybee may serve as one of the key species to be tested for the potential effects of transgenic crops (Huang et al. 2004).

> 

> Bees could be exposed to insecticidal proteins from transgenic plants during foraging. Pollen feeding is likely to be the main route of exposure (Babendreier et al. 2005). Many studies have been conducted to evaluate the side effects of transgenic products on honeybees.

> 

> In this study, we investigated the effects of Cry1Ah toxin on the survival, pollen consumption, and the hypopharyngeal gland weight of A. mellifera ligustica and A. cerana cerana under laboratory conditions.

> 

> The Cry1Ah protein (1 ng/mL, 10 ng/mL, and 10 μg/mL) did not have any lethal effects on A. mellifera.

> 

> No significant differences were found in the longevity of A. cerana fed on sugar syrup with 1 ng/mL or 10 μg/mL Cry1Ah toxin compared with the control treatment, but the longevity of bees fed on sugar syrup with 10 ng/mL Cry1Ah toxin was significantly longer than that found for the control.

> 

> We conclude that the Cry1Ah toxin did not affect the survival, pollen consumption, or the hypopharyngeal gland mass of honeybees A. mellifera ligustica and A. cerana cerana.

> 

> However, an assessment of the side effects of Cry1Ah corn pollen on honeybees should be conducted under more realistic conditions (i.e., bees fed on GM pollen or field trials).

> 

The effects of Bt Cry1Ah toxin on worker honeybees (Apis mellifera ligustica and Apis cerana cerana) Apidologie (2012) 43:384–391 





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