Detection and Concentration of Neonicotinoids and Other Pesticides in Honey from Honey Bee Colonies Located in Regions That Differ in Agricultural Practices: Implications for Human and Bee Health

Gilda Ponce-Vejar, S. Lizette Ramos de Robles, José Octavio Macias-Macias, Tatiana Petukhova and Ernesto Guzman-Novoa
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Gilda Ponce-Vejar: Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44600, Mexico
S. Lizette Ramos de Robles: Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44600, Mexico
José Octavio Macias-Macias: Centro de Investigaciones en Abejas (CIABE), Centro Universitario del Sur, Universidad de Guadalajara, Ciudad Guzmán 49000, Mexico
Tatiana Petukhova: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
Ernesto Guzman-Novoa: Centro de Investigaciones en Abejas (CIABE), Centro Universitario del Sur, Universidad de Guadalajara, Ciudad Guzmán 49000, Mexico

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 13, 1-13

Abstract: This is a preliminary study conducted to analyze the presence and concentration of pesticides in honey obtained from honey bee colonies located in two regions with managed ecosystems that differ in the intensity and technification of agricultural practices. Fourteen pesticides at variable concentrations were detected in 63% of the samples analyzed. The pesticides most frequently found at higher concentrations were insecticides (neonicotinoids, followed by organophosphates), herbicides, and fungicides. The number, frequency, and concentration of pesticides were higher in samples collected from hives located where intensive and highly-technified agriculture is practiced. Forty-three percent of the samples from that zone had residues of imidacloprid, compared with only 13% of the samples from the less-technified zone. Furthermore, 87.5% of those samples had imidacloprid concentrations that were above sublethal doses for honey bees (>0.25 ng/g) but that are not considered hazardous to human health by the European Commission. The results of this study suggest that honey can be used as a bioindicator of environmental contamination by pesticides, which highlights the need to continue monitoring contaminants in this product to determine the risks of pesticide impacts on pollinator health, on ecosystems, and on their potential implications to human health and other non-target organisms.

Keywords: neonicotinoids; pesticides; honey; honey bee health; human health; environmental pollution; Mexico (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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