Vol. 12, Issue 9 (2023)

Author(s):
S Senthamilselvi, VR Saminathan, K Subaharan, A Suganthy, MR Srinivasan and C Thangamani

Abstract:
Honey bees are critical pollinators worldwide, yet it is increasingly vulnerable to biotic and abiotic stresses. Agrochemicals are the major cause of pollinator decrease around the world. Field studies were conducted to study the effect of insecticidal exposure on Indian hiney bees.It was found that the honeybee death rate in both cotton and bhendi crops was lowest when exposed to chlorantraniliprole (14.19) followed by fipronil (23.69), imidacloprid (25.81), dinotefuran (30.53). In terms of toxicity ranking, the insecticides were ordered from least to most toxic as follows: chlorantraniliprole < fipronil < imidacloprid < dinotefuran. The mean mortality rate was highest when exposed to dinotefuran (15.09 and 15.44), followed by imidacloprid (12.35 and 13.46), fipronil (12.02 and 11.67), and chlorantraniliprole (5.27 and 8.92), in cotton and bhendi ecosystems. These pesticides caused varied poisoning symptoms in bees, which could aid beekeepers in identifying the reason behind colony deaths. The findings offer valuable insights for choosing insecticides that minimize harm to foraging honey bees while effectively managing crop pests.