Lethality of Synthetic and Natural Acaricides to Worker Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera) and Their Impact on the Expression of Health and Detoxification-related Genes

Overview

Journal Environ Sci Pollut Res Int

Publisher Springer

Specialties Environmental Health
Toxicology

Date 2018 Oct 17

PMID 30324372

Citations 7

Authors

Hanan A Gashout

Paul H Goodwin

Ernesto Guzman-Novoa

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

In this study, honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) were exposed to LD and LD doses of five commonly used acaricides for controlling the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor. LD values at 48 h post-treatment showed that tau-fluvalinate was the most toxic, followed by amitraz, coumaphos, thymol, and formic acid. However, the hazard ratios, which estimate the hive risk level based on a ratio of a standard dose of acaricide per hive to the LD of the acaricide, revealed that tau-fluvalinate was the most hazardous followed by formic acid, coumaphos, amitraz, and thymol. The expression of the honey bee acetylcholinesterase gene increased after treatment with the LD and LD acaricide doses and could distinguish three patterns in the timing and level of increased expression between acaricides: one for amitraz, one for tau-fluvalinate and formic acid, and one for coumaphos and thymol. Conversely, changes in cytochrome P450 gene expression could also be detected in response to all five acaricides, but there were no significant differences between them. Changes in vitellogenin gene expression could only detect the effects of tau-fluvalinate, amitraz, or coumaphos treatment, which were not significantly different from each other. Among the acaricides tested, coumaphos, amitraz, and thymol appear to be the safest acaricides based on their hazard ratios, and a good marker to detect differences between the effects of sub-lethal doses of acaricides is monitoring changes in acetylcholinesterase gene expression.

Citing Articles

Population Dynamics of the Mite in Honey Bee () Colonies in a Temperate Semi-Arid Climate.

Medina-Flores C, Saucedo Rojas A, Guzman-Novoa E, Alaniz Gutierrez L Insects. 2024; 15(9).

PMID: 39336664 PMC: 11432242. DOI: 10.3390/insects15090696.

The ant's weapon improves honey bee learning performance.

Bachert A, Scheiner R Sci Rep. 2023; 13(1):8399.

PMID: 37225773 PMC: 10209135. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35540-7.

A longitudinal experiment demonstrates that honey bee colonies managed organically are as healthy and productive as those managed conventionally.

Underwood R, Lawrence B, Turley N, Cambron-Kopco L, Kietzman P, Traver B Sci Rep. 2023; 13(1):6072.

PMID: 37055462 PMC: 10100614. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32824-w.

Propolis Contra Pharmacological Interventions in Bees.

Wojtacka J Molecules. 2022; 27(15).

PMID: 35956862 PMC: 9370548. DOI: 10.3390/molecules27154914.

Decreased Mite Reproduction to Select Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) Resistant Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae): Limitations and Potential Methodological Improvements.

von Virag A, Guichard M, Neuditschko M, Dietemann V, Dainat B J Econ Entomol. 2022; 115(3):695-705.

PMID: 35380682 PMC: 9175287. DOI: 10.1093/jee/toac022.

References

Davies T, Field L, Usherwood P, Williamson M . DDT, pyrethrins, pyrethroids and insect sodium channels. IUBMB Life. 2007; 59(3):151-62. DOI: 10.1080/15216540701352042. View

Toutant J, Roberts W, Murray N, Rosenberry T . Conversion of human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase from an amphiphilic to a hydrophilic form by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and serum phospholipase D. Eur J Biochem. 1989; 180(3):503-8. DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1989.tb14674.x. View

Wolansky M, McDaniel K, Moser V, Crofton K . Influence of dosing volume on the neurotoxicity of bifenthrin. Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2007; 29(3):377-84. DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2007.01.007. View

Boily M, Sarrasin B, Deblois C, Aras P, Chagnon M . Acetylcholinesterase in honey bees (Apis mellifera) exposed to neonicotinoids, atrazine and glyphosate: laboratory and field experiments. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2013; 20(8):5603-14. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-013-1568-2. View

Garrido P, Antunez K, Martin M, Porrini M, Zunino P, Eguaras M . Immune-related gene expression in nurse honey bees (Apis mellifera) exposed to synthetic acaricides. J Insect Physiol. 2012; 59(1):113-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2012.10.019. View

Mao W, Schuler M, Berenbaum M . CYP9Q-mediated detoxification of acaricides in the honey bee (Apis mellifera). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011; 108(31):12657-62. PMC: 3150950. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1109535108. View

Johnson R, Dahlgren L, Siegfried B, Ellis M . Acaricide, fungicide and drug interactions in honey bees (Apis mellifera). PLoS One. 2013; 8(1):e54092. PMC: 3558502. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054092. View

Wu J, Anelli C, Sheppard W . Sub-lethal effects of pesticide residues in brood comb on worker honey bee (Apis mellifera) development and longevity. PLoS One. 2011; 6(2):e14720. PMC: 3044129. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0014720. View

Priestley C, Williamson E, Wafford K, Sattelle D . Thymol, a constituent of thyme essential oil, is a positive allosteric modulator of human GABA(A) receptors and a homo-oligomeric GABA receptor from Drosophila melanogaster. Br J Pharmacol. 2003; 140(8):1363-72. PMC: 1574153. DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0705542. View

10.

Lindberg C, Melathopoulos A, Winston M . Laboratory evaluation of miticides to control Varroa jacobsoni (Acari: Varroidae), a honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) parasite. J Econ Entomol. 2000; 93(2):189-98. DOI: 10.1603/0022-0493-93.2.189. View

11.

Enan E . Insecticidal activity of essential oils: octopaminergic sites of action. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. 2001; 130(3):325-37. DOI: 10.1016/s1532-0456(01)00255-1. View

12.

Liesivuori J, Savolainen H . Methanol and formic acid toxicity: biochemical mechanisms. Pharmacol Toxicol. 1991; 69(3):157-63. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0773.1991.tb01290.x. View

13.

Elias-Neto M, Soares M, Simoes Z, Hartfelder K, Bitondi M . Developmental characterization, function and regulation of a Laccase2 encoding gene in the honey bee, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera, Apinae). Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2010; 40(3):241-51. DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2010.02.004. View

14.

Korta E, Bakkali A, Berrueta L, Gallo B, Vicente F, Kilchenmann V . Study of acaricide stability in honey. Characterization of amitraz degradation products in honey and beeswax. J Agric Food Chem. 2001; 49(12):5835-42. DOI: 10.1021/jf010787s. View

15.

Vandame R, Belzunces L . Joint actions of deltamethrin and azole fungicides on honey bee thermoregulation. Neurosci Lett. 1998; 251(1):57-60. DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3940(98)00494-7. View

16.

Johnson R, Pollock H, Berenbaum M . Synergistic interactions between in-hive miticides in Apis mellifera. J Econ Entomol. 2009; 102(2):474-9. DOI: 10.1603/029.102.0202. View

17.

Claudianos C, Ranson H, Johnson R, Biswas S, Schuler M, Berenbaum M . A deficit of detoxification enzymes: pesticide sensitivity and environmental response in the honeybee. Insect Mol Biol. 2006; 15(5):615-36. PMC: 1761136. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2583.2006.00672.x. View

18.

Amdam G, Simoes Z, Guidugli K, Norberg K, Omholt S . Disruption of vitellogenin gene function in adult honeybees by intra-abdominal injection of double-stranded RNA. BMC Biotechnol. 2003; 3:1. PMC: 149360. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6750-3-1. View

19.

Boncristiani H, Underwood R, Schwarz R, Evans J, Pettis J, vanEngelsdorp D . Direct effect of acaricides on pathogen loads and gene expression levels in honey bees Apis mellifera. J Insect Physiol. 2012; 58(5):613-20. DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2011.12.011. View

20.

Weick J, Thorn R . Effects of acute sublethal exposure to coumaphos or diazinon on acquisition and discrimination of odor stimuli in the honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae). J Econ Entomol. 2002; 95(2):227-36. DOI: 10.1603/0022-0493-95.2.227. View