Effect of artificial sugar supplement on the lifespan and learning memory ability of honey bee (Apis cerana) worker bee offspring.

Honeybees maintain their growth and reproduction mainly by collecting nutrients from nectar-source plants. Apis cerana, a unique species of honeybee in China, is capable of sporadically collecting nectar. In traditional beekeeping, sugar syrup or a honey-water solution must be artificially fed to bees to supplement their diet during rainy weather or nectar-deficient periods.

Effects of larval exposure to the insecticide flumethrin on the development of honeybee () workers.

Flumethrin is a widely used acaricide, but its improper use often leads to residue accumulation in honeybee colonies, thus threatening the health of honeybees, especially at the larval stage. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the direct toxicity of flumethrin on honeybee () larvae by conducting bioassays for immune and detoxification-related enzymes and transcriptome sequencing to determine the potential effects on newly emerged adults who were exposed to flumethrin during the larval stage. Results showed that the higher the concentration of flumethrin the honeybee larvae were exposed to, the greater the damage to the physiology of honeybee larvae and the newly emerged worker bees.

The negative effect of flumethrin stress on honey bee (Apis mellifera) worker from larvae to adults.

Flumethrin is a highly effective acaricide, but its lipophilic characteristic has some negative effects, such as accumulation in bee hives and bee products. However, studies on the survival stress of honey bees subsequent to chronic flumethrin exposure are limited. To answer this question, a study was carried out on the stress to honey bee (Apis mellifera) workers from larvae to adults by chronic exposure to sublethal concentrations of flumethrin.

The adverse impact on lifespan, immunity, and forage behavior of worker bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus 1758) after exposure to flumethrin.

Several pyrethroids (such as flumethrin and fluvalinate) with low toxicity to honey bees and comparable high toxicity to mites are used worldwide as acaricides. However, flumethrin has been used for a long time in colonies to control Varroa destructor and the honey bees might be exposed to flumethrin cumulatively, which could affect the health of honey bee colonies. This study evaluated the potential adverse effects of direct flumethrin exposure on worker bees under laboratory and colony conditions.

Honey bee Apis mellifera larvae gut microbial and immune, detoxication responses towards flumethrin stress.

Mites are considered the worst enemy of honey bees, resulting in economic losses in agricultural production. In apiculture, flumethrin is frequently used to control mites. It causes residues of flumethrin in colonies which may threaten honey bees, especially for larvae.