The Impact of Neonicotinoid Pesticides on Wild Bees in an Intensive Agriculture System

Abstract

Neonicotinoids are broad spectrum insecticides that are widely used to control many insect pests. In Ontario they are applied directly to the seeds of most corn and soy crops, after which they are incorporated into the tissues of the developing plant. While researchers have investigated how these insecticides impact honeybee health, much less attention has been given to the effects of neonicotinoids on wild pollinators. Ground nesting bees face exposure to neonicotinoids both in the soil, where they nest, as well as through other exposure routes (e.g, nectar and pollen of treated plants). I studied whether a higher concentration of neonicotinoid pesticides in soils within and near corn and soy crops is negatively associated with the abundance and diversity of ground nesting bees. To determine whether an association exists between soil neonicotinoid concentration and the abundance of associated ground nesting bee communities, I surveyed 16 eastern Ontario (mainly corn and soy) farms once per month from May to August, 2019, sampling the bee communities, soil pesticide levels, and floral resources. I found a significant interaction between the sampling period and neonicotinoid soil concentrations on ground nesting bee abundance. However, no similar relationship existed for an analysis with non ground nesting bees only. Specifically, I found that high concentrations of soil neonicotinoids were associated with lower expected bee abundances and low seasonal variation, a low concentration of soil neonicotinoids was associated with a high degree of seasonal variation, including spikes of relatively high expected abundances, and that sites with no neonicotinoids were associated with low seasonal variation and moderately high expected bee abundances. The number of floral units at a site was also positively associated with bee abundance, which is consistent with what has been reported in other studies. Diversity data are currently being processed off-site and unavailable at the time of publication. My results provide evidence that there exists the potential for higher risks of neonicotinoid seed treatments to ground nesting bees compared to the non-ground nesting community.