Exposure of honey bee colonies to organophosphorous insecticides in Egypt and Canada

This book assessed Organophosphorous insecticides (OPs) residues in samples of honey, pollen and bees by LC/MS-MS using (QuEChERS) method to assess their hazard to honey bee colonies in Egypt and in Saskatchewan, Canada. Obtained results suggests little hazard of OPs to Egyptian and Saskatchewan bee hives. Assessing whether exposure to environmentally relevant mixtures of four common OPs that act via the same mode of action exerts adverse effects on honey bees has also been addressed. Effects on survival, behavior, activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and expression of genes important in detoxification of xenobiotics and immune response were examined. Results suggest that short-term exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of a mixture of OPs do not adversely affect worker honey bees.