What is it about?
Honey and pollen samples were collected from colonies of the Mexicans honey bee and stingless bee. More than the 88% of the honey samples of both Mexican bees resulted positive to at least one organochlorine insecticide. All the pollen samples collected of the honey bee were positive to at least one organochloride, while only 22% was positive for the stingless bee. The most abundant pesticides were Heptaclor (44% of the samples), γ-HCH (36%), DDT (19%), Endrin (18%) and DDE (11%).
Featured Image
Why is it important?
Our study has unexpectedly revealed the presence of a wide spectrum of OC compounds, even though it is not officially used in Chiapas from the 2000’s. Efforts should be directed to find out the source of these compounds and to make sure none of them is being smuggled into the country. However, more studies conducted in other parts of Mexico might be necessary in order to determine the actual prevalence of these pesticides residues, and their impact on the honey industry and the safety of consumers.
Perspectives
Our data provide a clear indication of the widespread use of OCs in the study area, confirming honey bee and beehive matrixes as appropriate sentinels for bioenvironmental monitoring. This could be an effective tool for beekeepers to select production areas in particular for the production of organic honey
Dr Rosa Patricia Penilla
Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Organochlorine Pesticides in Honey and Pollen Samples from Managed Colonies of the Honey Bee Apis mellifera Linnaeus and the Stingless Bee Scaptotrigona mexicana Guérin from Southern, Mexico, Insects, May 2018, MDPI AG,
DOI: 10.3390/insects9020054.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
