Toxicological effects of in-hive pesticides to honey bees

Pollinators are a critical component to the plant health and production of agricultural landscapes.  Pesticide exposures to honey bees, Apis mellifera L., are implicated in the decline of these pollinators and their ecosystem services.  Knowledge of the toxicological consequences of these pesticide exposures, alone and in combination, to bees and their decline is limited.  In the present study, we will show the: 1) acute toxicities of in-hive pesticides to bees; 2) binary interactions of in-hive pesticides to bees; and 3) metabolic activities of bees towards in-hive pesticides. The use of this information for the development of ecologically- and chemically-based strategies to improve pollinator health and reduce pesticides exposures to bee colonies in southwest Virginia will be discussed.