Insect and Pesticide Research

Honey bee populations worldwide have been declining at alarming rates, driven by a combination of stressors that researchers are still working to disentangle: neonicotinoid insecticides that impair navigation and immune function, Varroa mites that weaken colonies while transmitting viral pathogens, and nutritional deficits from reduced floral diversity. Colony collapse disorder — the phenomenon in which worker bees abruptly disappear, leaving hives unable to survive — sits at the center of this research, because bees pollinate roughly a third of the global food supply and their loss carries serious agricultural consequences. Scientists are now investigating how these threats interact, particularly how pesticide exposure compromises gut microbiota and immune defenses in ways that make bees more vulnerable to pathogens they might otherwise resist. Key open questions include how to establish safe pesticide exposure thresholds that account for combined stressors, and whether supporting gut microbial health could serve as a practical tool for bolstering colony resilience.

Works

108,056

Total citations

1,352,183

Keywords

NeonicotinoidsHoney BeesColony Collapse DisorderPesticide ExposureVarroa MitesGut Microbiota