Green Frank B, Peterson Eric M, Emert Amanda D, Subbiah Seenivasan, Smith Philip N
Department of Environmental Toxicology, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79406, United States.
Environ Sci Technol. 2023 Oct 10;57(40):14839-14848. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.3c03135. Epub 2023 Sep 18.
Wild and managed bees are critical for the stability of trophic webs, angiosperm reproduction, and agricultural productivity. Unfortunately, as many as 40% of crop pollinators are in a steep decline due to habitat loss and exposure to agrochemicals. Pyrethroids, neonicotinoids, and macrocyclic lactones are among the many agrochemicals toxic to pollinating insects that are used extensively in industrial beef cattle feeding operations throughout the world. Fugitive feedyard particulate matter (PM) transports agrochemicals into the surrounding environs. To determine the impact of agrochemical-laden feedyard particulate matter on bee pollinators, we conducted experiments wherein honeybees and mason bees were placed downwind and upwind of feedyards (N = 40). Concurrent, colocated total suspended particulate matter samples contained multiple insecticides and parasiticides including pyrethroids, neonicotinoids, and macrocyclic lactones, in significantly higher concentrations downwind of feedyards (bifenthrin, 8.45 ± 4.92; permethrin, 1032.34 ± 740.76; clothianidin, 3.61 ± 1.48; imidacloprid, 73.32 ± 47.52; thiamethoxam, 5.81 ± 3.16; abamectin, 0.45 ± 0.29; ivermectin, 8.88 ± 5.06 ng/g). Honeybees and mason bees sited downwind of feedyards always experienced higher mortality than those correspondingly sited upwind, and male mason bees experienced significantly higher mortality compared to females when both were sited downwind. Bees occurring downwind of beef cattle feedyards for 1 h are 232-260% more likely to die than those occurring upwind. Thus, agrochemicals used on and emitted from beef cattle feedyards are significant threats to bee pollinators.
野生蜜蜂和人工养殖的蜜蜂对于营养级联网络的稳定、被子植物繁殖以及农业生产力至关重要。不幸的是，由于栖息地丧失和接触农用化学品，多达40%的作物传粉者数量正在急剧下降。拟除虫菊酯、新烟碱类和大环内酯类是众多对传粉昆虫有毒的农用化学品，在全球各地的工业肉牛饲养场中广泛使用。散逸的饲养场颗粒物（PM）将农用化学品输送到周围环境中。为了确定含有农用化学品的饲养场颗粒物对蜜蜂传粉者的影响，我们进行了实验，将蜜蜂和壁蜂放置在饲养场的下风处和上风处（N = 40）。同时，在同一地点采集的总悬浮颗粒物样本中含有多种杀虫剂和杀寄生虫剂，包括拟除虫菊酯、新烟碱类和大环内酯类，饲养场下风处的浓度显著更高（联苯菊酯，8.45±4.92；氯菊酯，1032.34±740.76；噻虫胺，3.61±1.48；吡虫啉，73.32±47.52；噻虫嗪，5.81±3.16；阿维菌素，0.45±0.29；伊维菌素，8.88±5.06纳克/克）。放置在饲养场下风处的蜜蜂和壁蜂的死亡率总是高于相应放置在上风处的蜜蜂和壁蜂，并且当两者都放置在下风处时，雄性壁蜂的死亡率显著高于雌性壁蜂。在肉牛饲养场下风处停留1小时的蜜蜂死亡的可能性比在上风处停留的蜜蜂高232 - 260%。因此，肉牛饲养场使用和排放的农用化学品对蜜蜂传粉者构成了重大威胁。
