Pesticide residues in wax lead to premature self-removal behavior in honey bees (Apis mellifera)

Honey bees face many stressors that decrease their health and have the potential to lead to colony collapse. One of these stressors is pesticides that are commonly used by farmers. Previous research has shown that exposure to pesticides can lead to accelerated behavioral maturation which has a negative impact on a colony's health. In this study, relevant levels of pesticides commonly found in honey bee hives will be tested on Honey Bees. Exposing the bees to pesticides that are commonly used by farmers will allow us to better understand the role that pesticide plays in the behavioral maturation of honey bees. Developmental stress in honey bees can lead to premature self-removal behavior where bees walk out of the colony before they can fly and die. Our study examines if pesticides can cause this self-removal and if pesticides have further physiological effects. To test this, we tagged a control group of bees that emerged from the brood and groups that were developmentally stressed with pesticides on the same day. These bees were then observed for self-removal behavior. We also observed the hypopharyngeal glands (HPG) of these bees to see if bees are aging up prematurely. The bees that fall out of the colony will be collected and dissected to obtain and measure the size of the HPGs to determine if the pesticides are leading to the HPG to shrink in size. This research could help inform beekeepers what pesticides could lead to a colony collapse.