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Neonicotinoid insecticides translocated in guttated droplets of seed-treated maize and wheat: a threat to honeybees?

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An Erratum to this article was published on 14 September 2011

Abstract

The immune system of bees is influenced by a diversity of factors, some of which have changed in the last 10 years such as the application of pesticides. In addition to pollen, nectar and dust, guttated water of seed-dressed plants might be a new source of contamination to bees. Our experiments demonstrated that guttated water of plants germinated from seeds dressed with neonicotinoids contains neonicotinoids. Maize seeds treated with clothianidin (Poncho® 0.5 mg/seed and Poncho® Pro 1.25 mg/seed) resulted in neonicotinoid concentrations up to 8,000 ng mL−1 in the guttated fluid. This concentration decreases rapidly, but remained detectable over several weeks. Seeds treated with Poncho® Pro did not result in higher concentrations in guttated droplets in the first stages of plant development, but the concentration decreased more slowly. Triticale seed treated with imidacloprid contained small quantities of this active agent (up to 13 ng mL−1) in the guttated fluid the following spring after overwintering. During the sampling of guttation fluid, no bees were observed collecting these droplets from triticale or maize. To evaluate the attractiveness of guttation fluid exuded from seed-treated plants under field conditions, more studies are required.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the staff members of the field site Heidfeldhof for assistance and providing us experimental sites. Furthermore, we thank Dr. Helen M. Thompson for proofreading the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Apicultural State Institute, University of Hohenheim, August-von-Hartmann-Str. 13, 70593, Stuttgart, Germany

    Jana E. Reetz & Klaus Wallner

  2. Institute of Environmental Research (INFU), Technische Universität Dortmund, Otto-Hahn-Str. 6, 44227, Dortmund, Germany

    Sebastian Zühlke & Michael Spiteller

Authors
  1. Jana E. Reetz
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  2. Sebastian Zühlke
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  3. Michael Spiteller
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  4. Klaus Wallner
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jana E. Reetz.

Additional information

Manuscript editor: Monique Gauthier

Présence d'insecticides néonicotinoïdes dans les gouttelettes exsudées par guttation sur les plants de maïs et de blé issus de graines traitées par enrobage: une menace pour les abeilles?

Graines traitées par enrobage / néonicotinoïdes/guttation / Apis mellifera / LC-HR-MS

Freisetzung neonicotinoider Insektizide aus der Saatgutbeizung in Guttationstropfen bei Mais und Getreide: Eine Gefahr für Honigbienen?

Saatgutbeizung / Neonicotinoide / Guttationswasser / Apis mellifera / LC-HR-MS

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13592-011-0093-x

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Reetz, J.E., Zühlke, S., Spiteller, M. et al. Neonicotinoid insecticides translocated in guttated droplets of seed-treated maize and wheat: a threat to honeybees?. Apidologie 42, 596–606 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-011-0049-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-011-0049-1

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