Larson Nicholas R, O'Neal Scott T, Kuhar Thomas P, Bernier Ulrich R, Bloomquist Jeffrey R, Anderson Troy D
Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.
Insects. 2021 Jan 14;12(1):69. doi: 10.3390/insects12010069.
The productivity and survival of managed honey bee colonies is negatively impacted by a diverse array of interacting factors, including exposure to agrochemicals, such as pesticides. This study investigated the use of volatile heterocyclic amine (HCA) compounds as potential short-term repellents that could be employed as feeding deterrents to reduce the exposure of bees to pesticide-treated plants. Parent and substituted HCAs were screened for efficacy relative to the repellent ,-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) in laboratory and field experiments. Additionally, electroantennogram (EAG) recordings were conducted to determine the level of antennal response in bees. In video-tracking recordings, bees were observed to spend significantly less time with an HCA-treated food source than an untreated source. In a high-tunnel experiment, the HCA piperidine was incorporated in a feeding station and found to significantly reduce bee visitations relative to an untreated feeder. In field experiments, bee visitations were significantly reduced on melon flowers ( L.) and flowering knapweed ( L.) that were sprayed with a piperidine solution, relative to untreated plants. In EAG recordings, the HCAs elicited antennal responses that were significantly different from control or vehicle responses. Overall, this study provides evidence that HCAs can deter individual bees from food sources and suggests that this deterrence is the result of antennal olfactory detection. These findings warrant further study into structure-activity relationships that could lead to the development of short-term repellent compounds that are effective deterrents to reduce the contact of bees to pesticide-treated plants.
多种相互作用的因素会对管理的蜜蜂蜂群的生产力和存活率产生负面影响，包括接触农用化学品，如杀虫剂。本研究调查了挥发性杂环胺（HCA）化合物作为潜在短期驱避剂的用途，这些驱避剂可作为取食威慑剂，以减少蜜蜂接触经农药处理的植物。在实验室和田间试验中，筛选了母体和取代的HCA相对于驱避剂N，N-二乙基间甲苯酰胺（避蚊胺）的功效。此外，还进行了触角电图（EAG）记录，以确定蜜蜂触角反应的水平。在视频跟踪记录中，观察到蜜蜂在接触经HCA处理的食物源时花费的时间明显少于未处理的食物源。在一个高架试验中，将HCA哌啶加入到一个喂食站，发现相对于未处理的喂食器，它能显著减少蜜蜂的访问次数。在田间试验中，相对于未处理的植物，喷洒哌啶溶液的甜瓜花（甜瓜属）和开花矢车菊（矢车菊属）上的蜜蜂访问次数显著减少。在EAG记录中，HCA引起的触角反应与对照或溶剂反应有显著差异。总体而言，本研究提供了证据表明HCA可以阻止单个蜜蜂接近食物源，并表明这种威慑作用是触角嗅觉检测的结果。这些发现值得进一步研究结构-活性关系，这可能会导致开发出有效的短期驱避化合物，以减少蜜蜂与经农药处理的植物的接触。
