Effect of Protein Supplementation in the Bee Apis mellifera L. Exposed to the Agrochemical Fipronil

Authors

  • Iloran do Rosário Corrêa Moreira Departamento de Produção Animal e Medicina Veterinária Preventiva - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia - Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP - Campus de Botucatu - São Paulo http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8162-5843
  • Daniel Cavalcante Brambila de Barros Departamento de Produção Animal e Medicina Veterinária Preventiva - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia - Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP - Campus de Botucatu - São Paulo http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8742-0352
  • Juliana Sartori Lunardi Departamento de Produção Animal e Medicina Veterinária Preventiva - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia - Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP - Campus de Botucatu - São Paulo http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6131-5207
  • Ricardo de Oliveira Orsi Departamento de Produção Animal e Medicina Veterinária Preventiva - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia - Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP - Campus de Botucatu - São Paulo http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8099-8277

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v68i3.5830

Keywords:

beekeeping, nutrition, protein, supplementation, neurotoxicity

Abstract

Inadequate quantity and quality of proteins in honey bee diet can cause weakening of their colonies and damage their resistance to agrochemical contamination, such as fipronil, which is highly toxic to bees. Thus, we tested the hypothesis if protein supplementation would improve longevity and locomotion of honeybees exposed to fipronil pesticide. Colonies of Apis mellifera Africanized were distributed into Control Group without protein supplementation and Supplemented Group with 25% crude protein provided as a paste form at 100 g per week. After four weeks, frames with sealed brood were removed and kept in an incubator until the emergence of worker bees, which were marked, returned to their hives and recaptured six days later to measure protein concentration in the hemolymph. The bee population development was measured by evaluating frames containing the queen’s oviposition from each colony. Also, nursing bees were recaptured exposed by contact to fipronil LD50% (0.009 ± 0.003 μg/bee), and the longevity and motor activity were measured. The results showed that the bee swarms protein supplementation promoted a significant increase in the sealed brood area. However, it did not promote changes in the protein content of the hemolymph. Protein supplementation of bee swarms did not influence the survival of bees exposed to fipronil in the locomotion tests; however, fipronil was toxic to bees and promoted changes in the locomotion of bees.

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Author Biographies

Iloran do Rosário Corrêa Moreira, Departamento de Produção Animal e Medicina Veterinária Preventiva - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia - Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP - Campus de Botucatu - São Paulo

Departamento de Produção Animal e Medicina Veterinária Preventiva. Student

Daniel Cavalcante Brambila de Barros, Departamento de Produção Animal e Medicina Veterinária Preventiva - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia - Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP - Campus de Botucatu - São Paulo

Departamento de Produção Animal e Medicina Veterinária Preventiva. Student

Juliana Sartori Lunardi, Departamento de Produção Animal e Medicina Veterinária Preventiva - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia - Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP - Campus de Botucatu - São Paulo

Departamento de Produção Animal e Medicina Veterinária Preventiva. Student

Ricardo de Oliveira Orsi, Departamento de Produção Animal e Medicina Veterinária Preventiva - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia - Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP - Campus de Botucatu - São Paulo

Departamento de Produção Animal e Medicina Veterinária Preventiva. Professor

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Published

2021-08-14

How to Cite

Moreira, I. do R. C., Barros, D. C. B. de, Lunardi, J. S., & Orsi, R. de O. (2021). Effect of Protein Supplementation in the Bee Apis mellifera L. Exposed to the Agrochemical Fipronil. Sociobiology, 68(3), e5830. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v68i3.5830

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Section

Research Article - Bees

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