Toxicity of diafenthiuron to honey bees in laboratory, semi-field and field conditions.

Background: Cardamom, an important spice crop often attacked by many insect pests, is controlled mainly using synthetic insecticides. As honey bees play a vital role in pollination in cardamom, the impact of insecticides on honey bees needs to be explored to assess its safety.

Results: Risk assessment based on contact toxicity revealed diafenthiuron to be a non-selective insecticide to bees with a low selectivity ratio (the ratio between the LD(50) for beneficial and pest species).