Journal of Apicultural Research 48(1): 243-250 (2010) © IBRA 2010
DOI 10.3896/IBRA.1.49.3.03

Pesticide residues in beeswax and beebread samples collected from honey bee
colonies (Apis mellifera L.) in Spain. Possible implications for bee losses

F. José Orantes-Bermejo1,2*, Antonio Gómez Pajuelo3, Mercedes Megías
Megías1,
Cristina Torres Fernández-Píñar1

Summary
Two experiments were carried out on professional bee hives in Spain in order
to
measure the levels of contamination in beeswax and beebread and its possible
relation
to the bee losses currently found in bees. In beeswax the main components
that we
found were chlorfenvinphos and tau-fluvalinate. Chlorfenvinphos was detected
in 100%
of the samples analyzed (n=32) with an average concentration of 449.28 µg
kg-1 ±
708.42 µg kg-1 (range: 20.45 µg kg-1 – 3182.31 µg kg-1). Tau-fluvalinate was
detected
in 96.8% of the samples analyzed (n=32) with an average concentration of
996.49 µg
kg-1 ± 2384.37 µg kg-1 (range: <LD µg kg-1 – 12978.73 µg kg-1). In beebread
the
most frequent acaricide was chlorfenvinphos, being detected in 90.6% of the
samples
analyzed (n= 32) with an average concentration of 35.9 µg kg-1 ± 60.86 µg
kg-1
(range: <LD µg kg-1 – 285.56 µg kg-1). The samples from depopulated
apiaries
showed higher concentrations of this compound as compared to the
non-depopulated
apiaries (74.62 µg kg-1 vs. 23.84 µg kg-1; F = 4.254; p = 0.048). This
tendency was
found in the studies of the accumulated acaricides in beeswax coming from
hives with
both a high or low survival rate. Of the beebread samples taken 59.4% had
detectable
levels of other agricultural pesticides and in total 16 active ingredients
were detected. If
we consider acaricides and agricultural pesticides together, 100% of the
samples had
some kind of contamination. The possible impact of acaricides and
agricultural
pesticides and cocktails of these in beebread fed to bee larvae is
discussed.


-- 
Juanse Barros J.
APIZUR S.A.
Carrera 695
Gorbea - CHILE
+56-45-271693
08-3613310
http://apiaraucania.blogspot.com/
[log in to unmask]

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at:
http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm