Video-tracking of behavioral effects following sublethal exposure to pyrethroids in the honey bee, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera:Apidae)

The honey bee, Apis mellifera L., is a valuable managed pollinator in fruit and nut orchards, adding value through increased yield and quality. Placement of honey bee colonies in orchards for pollination services may result in their exposure to insecticides used in orchard pest management. Pyrethroids are a class of insecticide used to control a broad range of insect pests in orchards. They are highly toxic to bees, and studies have correlated their use with decreases in honey bee foraging after application. In order to effectively pollinate orchards while protecting them from pests, it is important to establish if sublethal doses of pyrethroids have adverse affects on bee behavior that can impair orchard pollination. We investigated the sub-lethal behavioral effects of commonly-applied orchard pyrethroids. We used Ethovision® XT video-tracking software to measure locomotion, velocity, time spent feeding and time spent interacting . We found that Ethovision® XT software could detect differences in distance moved, velocity, and time spent in social interactions over a 24-hour period. Current studies seek to determine if our Ethovision observations can be used to predict colony performance in field studies. The goal of this study is to develop quantifiable screening methods that will provide regulatory agencies with a tool to assess the sublethal effects of pesticide exposure.