Where Does Honey Bee ( L.) Pollen Come from? A Study of Pollen Collected from Colonies at Ornamental Plant Nurseries.

Ornamental nursery plants are both a major agricultural industry in the U.S. and a major feature of the urban and suburban landscape.

A Comparison of Pollen and Syrup Exposure Routes in Bombus impatiens (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Microcolonies: Implications for Pesticide Risk Assessment.

Bumble bees are important pollinators for both native plants and managed agricultural systems. Accumulating evidence has shown that pesticides, including neonicotinoids, can have a range of adverse effects on bumble bee health. Most laboratory studies that assess the effects of chronic neonicotinoid exposure on bumble bees use syrup as the delivery vehicle, rather than pollen.

Effects of the Neonicotinoid Acetamiprid in Pollen on Bombus impatiens Microcolony Development.

Honey bees and other wild bee species including bumble bees have experienced population declines in recent decades. Although many stressors are implicated in bee population declines, much attention has focused on neonicotinoid pesticides, which are widely used and known to be toxic to pollinators. One neonicotinoid, acetamiprid, has been studied very little in bumble bees, despite its use on bumble bee-pollinated crops.