International questionnaire - Honey bee mortality evaluation, comparison and causes identification

Conference (2009)

Does Imidacloprid Seed-Treated Maize Have an Impact on Honey Bee Mortality?

in Journal of Economic Entomology (2009), 102(2), 616-623

Beekeepers suspected maize. Zea mays L., treated with imidacloprid to result in substantial loss of honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies in Belgium. The objective of this study was to investigate the ... [more ▼]

Beekeepers suspected maize. Zea mays L., treated with imidacloprid to result in substantial loss of honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies in Belgium. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential impact of maize grown from imidacloprid-treated seeds on honey bee mortality. A survey of 16 apiaries was carried out, and all maize fields treated or not with imidacloprid were located within a radius of 3,000 m around the observed apiaries. Samples of honey, beeswax, and bees were collected in three colonies per apiary and analyzed for pesticide contain by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. We first found significant correlation between the number of colonies per apiary and the mortality rates in an apiary. In addition, this mortality rate was inversely correlated with the surface of maize fields treated and not with imidacloprid, suggesting that this pesticide do not interact with bees fitness. Moreover, a very large number of our samples contained acarcides either prohibited or ineffective against varroa destructor (Anderson & Trueman) (Acari: Varroidae), suggesting that the treatment method used by the beekeepers to be inadequate for mite control. Our results support the hypothesis that imidacloprid seed-treated maize has no negative impact on honey bees. [less ▲]

Quelles sont les causes des pertes d'abeilles? L'action des varroas? Que faut-il penser des pesticides

Conference given outside the academic context (2008)

Positive and negative effects of two organic acids used in the control of the honey bee parasitic mite varroa destructor (Anderson) ( Acari: Varroidae).

in Proceedings of the 15th Benelux Congress of Zoology (2008)

Identification of risk factors implied in honeybee colony collapse in the south part of Belgium.

Scientific conference (2008)

Etat sanitaire des ruchers en Région wallonne (Belgique)

Poster (2007, November)

Development and validation of a multi-residue method for pesticide determination in honey using on-column liquid-liquid extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

in Journal of Chromatography. A (2007), 1152(1-2), 116-123

We report on the development and validation under ISO 17025 criteria of a multi-residue confirmatory method to identify and quantify 17 widely chemically different pesticides (insecticides: Carbofuran ... [more ▼]

We report on the development and validation under ISO 17025 criteria of a multi-residue confirmatory method to identify and quantify 17 widely chemically different pesticides (insecticides: Carbofuran, Methiocarb, Pirimicarb, Dimethoate, Fipronil, Imidacloprid; herbicides: Amidosulfuron, Rimsulfuron, Atrazine, Simazine, Chloroturon, Linuron, Isoxaflutole, Metosulam; fungicides: Diethofencarb) and 2 metabolites (Methiocarb sulfoxide and 2-Hydroxytertbutylazine) in honey. This method is based on an on-column liquid liquid extraction (OCLLE) using diatomaceous earth as inert solid support and liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) operating in tandem mode (MS/MS). Method specificity is ensured by checking retention time and theoretical ratio between two transitions from a single precursor ion. Linearity is demonstrated all along the range of concentration that was investigated, from 0.1 to 20 ng g(-1) raw honey, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.921 to 0.999, depending on chemicals. Recovery rates obtained on home-made quality control samples are between 71 and 90%, well above the range defined by the EC/657/2002 document, but in the range we had fixed to ensure proper quantification, as levels found in real samples could not be corrected for recovery rates. Reproducibility is found to be between 8 and 27%. Calculated CC alpha and CC beta (0.0002-0.943 mg g(-1) for CC alpha, and 0.0002-1.232 ng g(-1) for CCP) show the good sensitivity attained by this rnulti-residue analytical method. The robustness of the method has been tested in analyzing more than 100 raw honey samples collected from different areas in Belgium, as well as some wax and bee samples, with a slightly adapted procedure. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. [less ▲]

La varroase et les maladies liées au rucher

Conference given outside the academic context (2007)

Multi-Group Pesticide Measurements in Bees and Related Products by On-Column LLE and GC- or LC-MS/MS

Conference (2006, November)

Calcul d’indicateurs de risque liés à l’utilisation de produits phytosanitaires : calcul de risque (type PRIBEL) pour les abeilles, agrégation et cartographie pour la Région wallonne.

Report (2006)