TOXICITY OF ACARICIDES/INSECTICIDES FOR CITRUS CROP TO THE AFRICANIZED HONEYBEE APIS MELLIFERA L., 1758 (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE)

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the toxicity of commercial pesticides used on citrus crop to the honey bees Apis mellifera Linnaeus. The number of dead honey bees was registered during time assays, which were carried out in laboratory conditions with the chemicals thiamethoxam, deltamethrin, lufenuron, tebufenozide, propargite, cyhexatin, methidathion and abamectin. The exposure of the honey bees to the chemicals was made by spraying, food contamination and contact with contaminated surfaces. In all assays, thiamethoxam, methidathion and abamectin were highly toxic, with average lethal times (LT₅₀) of 3.57; 3.34 and 23.12h, respectively. In spraying assays, deltamethrin showed low toxicity to the honey bees, however, in supplied food contamination and residue contact tests, this pyrethroid was very toxic. For propargite, medium toxicity was verified when the contaminated food was supplied to the bees, with a LT₅₀ of 64.65h, and in the other assays, a similar effect to cyhexatin, tebufenozide and lufenuron was verified, with low toxicity to the adult of africanized honeybees.

KEY WORDS Africanized honeybee; polinizator; toxicity; selectivity