Effect of flumethrin on survival and olfactory learning in honeybees

PLoS One. 2013 Jun 13;8(6):e66295. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066295. Print 2013.

Abstract

Flumethrin has been widely used as an acaricide for the control of Varroa mites in commercial honeybee keeping throughout the world for many years. Here we test the mortality of the Asian honeybee Apis cerana cerana after treatment with flumethrin. We also ask (1) how bees react to the odor of flumethrin, (2) whether its odor induces an innate avoidance response, (3) whether its taste transmits an aversive reinforcing component in olfactory learning, and (4) whether its odor or taste can be associated with reward in classical conditioning. Our results show that flumethrin has a negative effect on Apis ceranàs lifespan, induces an innate avoidance response, acts as a punishing reinforcer in olfactory learning, and interferes with the association of an appetitive conditioned stimulus. Furthermore flumethrin uptake within the colony reduces olfactory learning over an extended period of time.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Avoidance Learning
  • Bees / drug effects*
  • Bees / physiology*
  • Behavior, Animal / drug effects
  • Conditioning, Classical / drug effects*
  • Insecticides / adverse effects*
  • Odorants
  • Olfactory Perception / drug effects*
  • Pyrethrins / adverse effects*
  • Reinforcement, Psychology

Substances

  • Insecticides
  • Pyrethrins
  • flumethrin

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Science, China National Research Fund (31260585) and China National Agricultural Production Systematic Fund (CARS-45-kxj14). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.