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Ecotoxicity of Neonicotinoid Insecticides to Bees

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Insect Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 683))

Abstract

This chapter reviews the available data on the toxicity of neonicotinoid insecticides to bees that are the prominent and the most economically important group of pollinators worldwide. Classical and new methods developed to take into account the characteristics and different types of effects of the neonicotinoid insecticides to bees are described. The available toxicity results are critically analyzed. Thus, the nitro-substituted compounds (clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid and its metabolites, thiamethoxam, nitenpyram) appear the most toxic to bees. The cyano-substituted neonicotinoids seem to exhibit a much lower toxicity (acetamiprid and thiacloprid). The chapter ends with suggestions for additional studies aiming at better assess the hazard of this important insecticide family to bees.

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  1. Institut Claude Bougelat, ACTA, 1 Avenue C. Bourgelat, 68280, Marcy L’Etoile, France

    Axel Decourtye & James Devillers

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  1. Axel Decourtye
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  2. James Devillers
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Correspondence to Axel Decourtye .

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  1. Laboratoire Récepteurs et Canaux Ioniques Membranaires, RCIM UPRES EA 2647/USC INRA 2023, IFR 149 QUASAV, Université d’Angers, UFR de Sciences, Angers, France

    Steeve Hervé Thany PhD

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Decourtye, A., Devillers, J. (2010). Ecotoxicity of Neonicotinoid Insecticides to Bees. In: Thany, S.H. (eds) Insect Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 683. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6445-8_8

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