Evaluating sublethal effects of chlorpyrifos exposure on mason bee (Osmia cornifrons) larval development

Bees are frequently exposed to pesticides across different life stages, resulting from widespread agrochemical applications. For example, bee larvae can be exposed to sublethal amounts of pesticides through pollen and nectar diets provisioned by female adults, which they consume during larval development. Here, I explore how mason bee larvae (Osmia cornifrons) respond to field-realistic doses of chlorpyrifos in their larval diet. Bees were exposed to one of four different chlorpyrifos concentrations mixed with their diet and evaluated for overall survival, and the duration between discrete developmental benchmarks. My results will inform us of any adverse impacts of chlorpyrifos exposure on mason bee developmental timing, which may serve as an instructive model for assessing risk of chemical exposure to other solitary bees. Future work will additionally explore whether bees exposed to chlorpyrifos as larvae can procreate as efficiently as bees reared on control, uncontaminated diets.