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Toxicity and effects of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam on Scaptotrigona bipunctata lepeletier, 1836 (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
Author(s) -
Moreira Daiani Rodrigues,
Sinópolis Gigliolli Adriana Aparecida,
Falco José Ricardo Penteado,
Julio Alison Henrique Ferreira,
Volnistem Eduardo Azzolini,
Chagas Francieli das,
Toledo Vagner de Alencar Arnaut de,
RuvoloTakasusuki Maria Claudia Colla
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
environmental toxicology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.813
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1522-7278
pISSN - 1520-4081
DOI - 10.1002/tox.22533
Subject(s) - thiamethoxam , neonicotinoid , biology , apidae , hymenoptera , pollinator , toxicology , pesticide , zoology , botany , pollen , imidacloprid , ecology , pollination
The neonicotinoid thiamethoxam is widely used in different agricultural crops, and it has a spectrum of action against insects, affecting both pests and pollinators, such as bees. In this study, the effects of exposure to sublethal concentrations of thiamethoxam on stingless bees Scaptotrigona bipunctata were evaluated. Foragers bees were exposed to the insecticide and subjected to genetic biochemical, histochemical, and morphological analyses after 24, 48, and 72 h of ingestion. Analysis of isoenzyme esterases revealed significant alterations in the relative activity of EST‐4, a type II cholinesterase. Evaluation of the S. bipunctata brain revealed changes in the state of chromatin condensation according to the exposure time and concentration of neonicotinoid compared with the control. Morphological changes were observed in the midgut of this species at all concentrations and exposure times, which may interfere with various physiological processes of these insects. We can conclude that, although thiamethoxam at the concentrations evaluated did not cause high mortality, it induced concentration‐dependent changes in bees by activating enzymes related with the protection for xenobiotic, internal morphology and probably these changes may lead to alterations in the activity of bees.