Neonicotinoid insecticides are often detected in pollen and nectar, which are the main food resources for honey bees. Sub-lethal and chronic exposure to these insecticides may have a prolonged effect on honey bees who are solely dependent on the stored food inside of the hive during cold weather. Our study investigated the effects of sub-lethal concentrations of imidacloprid on late fall forager honey bees’ behavior by accessing their activity levels and walking performance after being fed ad libitum with six different concentrations (2—125 μg/kg) of imidacloprid-dosed syrup for up to 48 h in the laboratory. Numbers of honey bees that walked after being released into a UV light illuminated tunnel decreased significantly as dosages of neonicotinoid in their diet increased. However, their walking speeds were not significantly affected by imidacloprid. The behavioral changes we observed in honey bees chronically exposed to neonicotinoid via diet could negatively affect individual honey bee performance of hive duties and consequently, colony survival during cold weather.

新烟碱类杀虫剂经常在花粉和花蜜中检测到，它们是蜜蜂的主要食物资源。长期接触这些杀虫剂可能会对蜜蜂产生长期影响，它们在寒冷的天气里完全依赖蜂巢内储存的食物。我们的研究通过访问随意喂食后的活动水平和行走性能，调查了亚致死浓度的吡虫啉对晚秋觅食蜜蜂行为的影响在实验室中使用六种不同浓度 (2-125 μg/kg) 的吡虫啉糖浆进行长达 48 小时的测试。随着食物中新烟碱剂量的增加，蜜蜂在被释放到紫外线照射的隧道中后行走的数量显着减少。然而，吡虫啉对他们的步行速度没有显着影响。我们在通过饮食长期暴露于新烟碱类物质的蜜蜂中观察到的行为变化可能会对个体蜜蜂的蜂巢职责产生负面影响，从而对寒冷天气下的蜂群生存产生负面影响。