Acute oral and contact toxicity of new ethyl-carbamates on the mortality and acetylcholinesterase activity of honey bee (Apis mellifera).

The effects produced by the ethyl-carbamates: ethyl-4-bromophenyl carbamate (LQM 919) and ethyl-4-chlorophenyl carbamate (LQM 996) on the mortality and behavior of Apis mellifera were evaluated by the acute oral toxicity test and the acute contact toxicity test. The oral lethal dose, 50% of the ethyl-carbamates was >145.24 μg per bee, and the oral lethal dose, 50% of propoxur was 0.072 μg per bee. Therefore, according to the OECD criteria, the ethyl-carbamates were classified as relatively nontoxic orally; meanwhile, propoxur was classified as highly toxic orally. In the contact test, lethal concentrations 50% of the ethyl-carbamates were 4.83 and 2.23 μg/cm for LQM 919 and LQM 996, respectively; therefore, they were at least 10-fold less lethal (p < 0.05) than propoxur (0.22 μg/cm). The ethyl-carbamates reduced the activity of A. mellifera acetylcholinesterase by up to 30%. The k and k values of both ethyl-carbamates were lower (p < 0.05) than those of propoxur and indicated that they are weak inhibitors and with low affinity to A. mellifera acetylcholinesterase, which along with the absence of behavioral alterations suggests that the mortality caused by ethyl carbamates is not related to damage to the nervous system. According to these results, the evaluated ethyl-carbamates can be considered a low ecotoxic risk for A. mellifera.