A new PoshBee video showcases laboratory experiments on pesticide exposure and pollen diet effects on bees. The team of PoshBee researchers from INRAE, France, led by Prof. Yves Le Conte, and including PoshBee researcher Léna Barascou and researcher Cédric Alaux, performed laboratory experiments aiming to measure the effects of pollen diet on the sensitivity to pesticides in honeybees.

The video is created and narrated by PoshBee PhD student Lena Barascou.

Pollen abundance and quality is an important issue regarding effects that floral resources have in agroecosystems.

The researchers aim to determine whether pollen availability and quality can influence the sensitivity of bees to pesticides.

During the study, the scientists monitored bee mortality for 16 days, calculating the hazard ratio, giving the mortality risk upon exposure to pesticides.

Research results show that pollen availability and quality has an effect on the elimination of pesticide residues and decrease the sensitivity of bees to these compounds. Therefore, the decrease of floral resources in agrosystems could increase the sensitivity of bees to pesticides, giving an additional argument for the restoration of floral resources in such habitats. 

Watch the video here.