Scientists use Microsensys’ RFID technology to study effects of pesticides on bumblebees
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tagged bumblebee
Researchers recently completed a study usingRFIDRadio frequency identification to study the effects of nicotinic pesticides on the ability of honeybees to forage pollen. The study, conducted by Royal Holloway University in London, monitored 259 bumblebees in 40 areas for four weeks.
To study the effects of two pesticides on bees, including a neonicotinoid insecticide (imidacloprid) and a pyrethroid drug (lambda cyhalothrin).
The aim of this study was to accurately examine the effects of long-term exposure to pesticides on pollen intake by bees.
The research was published in the British Ecological Society’s Functional Ecology journal by Dr. Richard Gill of Imperial College London, Berkshire, UK, and Dr. Nigel Raine, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Gill reports that the bees use Microsensys 13.56MHz mic3 tags that can be read by a 64-bit passive transponder compliant with the ISO 15693 standard.
The label measures 2mm x 1.6mm x 0.5mm (0.8″ x 0.06″ x 0.02″) and weighs only 4 mg (0.0001 oz).
Gill added that the tag ID can be read using a handheld USB pen reader, Microsensys iID pen-mini USB RFIDReaderMaja IV module with optimized antenna to read microsensys MIC3 tags.
Using RFID tags carried by the bumblebees, the researchers were able to track in detail the data from the bee’s exit to its return to the hive for four weeks.
The bees were housed in a naturally-lit laboratory, in temperature-controlled wooden boxes, connected to the natural environment through exit holes, allowing them to forage outside the laboratory.
All hives have artificial nectar (sugar water) for them to choose from, pollen collected by the bees and some real nectar that will reveal the effects of pesticides in the area on the bees. The sugar water provided by the scientists sprays nicotinic or pyrethroid insecticides onto filter paper, which the bees pass over to feed.
The study found that bumblebees long-term exposure to nicotinic pesticides brought back significantly less pollen than bees that were not exposed to pesticides, suggesting that continued exposure to pesticides affects bees’ foraging performance.
To make up for the lack of pollen that each bee brings back, scientists added more foragers to the nicotinic insecticide-treated areas.
When the scientists analyzed the color of the pollen collected, evidence showed that bees exposed to pesticides collected flowers of different colors.The results also show that pesticides can inhibit the increase in bees’ ability to forage pollen as they age
In untreated areas, as the bumblebees get older and more experienced, the amount of pollen they forage will increase.
The research was funded by the Scottish Government, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust and LWEC.
Scientists are calling on environmental policymakers to reform pesticide use risk assessments.
Previous studies have tended to focus on the effects of short-term pesticide exposure over 48 hours.
(The exclusive manuscript of rfid world network, please indicate the source author for reprinting!)
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