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Sublethal doses of imidacloprid decreased size of hypopharyngeal glands and respiratory rhythm of honeybees in vivo

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Abstract

Most studies that have shown negative sublethal effects of the pesticide imidacloprid on honeybees concern behavioral effects; only a few concern physiological effects. Therefore, we investigated sublethal effects of imidacloprid on the development of the hypopharyngeal glands (HPGs) and respiratory rhythm in honeybees fed under laboratory conditions. We introduced newly emerged honeybees into wooden mesh-sided cages and provided sugar solution and pollen pastry ad libitum. Imidacloprid was administered in the food: 2 μg/kg in the sugar solution and 3 μg/kg in the pollen pastry. The acini, the lobes of the HPGs of imidacloprid-treated honeybees, were 14.5 % smaller in diameter in 9-day-old honeybees and 16.3 % smaller in 14-day-old honeybees than in the same-aged untreated honeybees; the difference was significant for both age groups. Imidacloprid also significantly affected the bursting pattern of abdominal ventilation movements (AVM) by causing a 59.4 % increase in the inter-burst interval and a 56.99 % decrease in the mean duration of AVM bursts. At the same time, the quantity of food consumed (sugar solution and pollen pastry) per honeybee per day was the same for both treated and untreated honeybees.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a joint project from the EU and the Greek Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food (2008–2010) and by a Greek-French bilateral collaboration project, PLATON 09 FR75. We thank Dimitra Fouka, laboratory technician in Hellenic Institute of Apiculture, for technical assistance. We are also profoundly indebted to Sharilynn Wardrop, for stylistic and linguistic improvements as well to the anonymous reviewers for valuable suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hellenic Institute of Apiculture, Hellenic Agricultural Organization ‘DEMETER’, N. Moudania, 63 200, Greece

    Fani Hatjina & Leonidas Charistos

  2. Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University, 541 24, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Chrisovalantis Papaefthimiou

  3. Mugla University, Science Faculty, Biology Department, 48000, Mugla, Turkey

    Taylan Dogaroglu

  4. Lab of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos Str, Athens, 118 55, Greece

    Maria Bouga & Christina Emmanouil

  5. Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes, Spéciation, CNRS UPR 9034, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France and Université Paris-Sud 11, Orsay, France

    Gerard Arnold

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  1. Fani Hatjina
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  2. Chrisovalantis Papaefthimiou
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  3. Leonidas Charistos
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Correspondence to Fani Hatjina.

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Manuscript editor: Monique Gauthier

Des doses sublétales d’imidaclopride réduisent la taille des glandes hypopharyngiennes et agissent sur le rythme respiratoire des abeilles

Insecticide / abeille / essai en laboratoire / respiration / glande salivaire

Subletale Imidaclopriddosierungen verringern die Größe der Futtersaftdrüsen und den Atemrhythmus von Honigbienen in vivo

Imidacloprid / Honigbiene / Futtersaftdrüse / Atemrhythmus

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Hatjina, F., Papaefthimiou, C., Charistos, L. et al. Sublethal doses of imidacloprid decreased size of hypopharyngeal glands and respiratory rhythm of honeybees in vivo. Apidologie 44, 467–480 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-013-0199-4

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