Project Number: 1275-21000-090-01
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 25, 2007
End Date: Sep 03, 2012

Objective:
The objectives of this cooperative agreement are to determine the lethal and sub-lethal effects of crop pesticides on honey bee health. We propose to examine the exposure rates and effects of pesticides used on crops pollinated by bees in the mid-Atlantic region. Pesticide exposure could be one stress factor involved in colony collapse disorder (CCD) and bees used for pollination appear to be particularly at risk for CCD. Thus, the research will document to level of pesticide exposure from specific crops and determine the effects, if any, of this exposure on bee health.

Approach:
Crops that rent bees for pollination including watermelons, cucumbers, and other cucurbits will be the target crops for these studies. Honey bee colonies will be placed in test plots were specific pesticide regimes are administered and the nectar and pollen from these crops collected and analyzed for pesticide residues. Following documentation of the levels of exposure in the nectar and pollen, cage studies will be conducted that expose bees to these concentrations of pesticides in protein and or carbohydrates diets and longevity used to determine effects. Companion studies may be carried out in larger fields where whole colonies can be exposed under real-world situations and colony health monitored.