Toxicidade residual e oral de Pimetrozina sobre Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera; Apidae) em condições de laboratório.

Abstract

Currently, there has been a decline in bee species in agricultural areas, mainly due to the intensive use of pesticides in crops. Therefore, this present study aimed to evaluate the toxicity of the insecticide Pymetrozine on A. mellifera, through residual and oral contact under laboratory conditions. The work was carried out at the Entomology Laboratory of the Academic Unit of Agricultural Sciences (UAGRA), belonging to the Center for Agro-Food Sciences and Technology (CCTA) of the Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG), Pombal - PB. Adult A. mellifera workers from hives belonging to the CCTA/UFCG apiary were used. After the application of the treatments, the mortality and behavior of the bees were evaluated at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12 and 24 hours after the beginning of the exposure. The results of treatments with Pymetrozine in the two modes of exposure evaluated, regardless of the dose, showed that they were less toxic when compared to the positive control, Thiamethoxam. For the mode of exposure with product residues on melon leaves, mortality of 20.8% was found at the minimum dose and 23.9% at the maximum dose of the insecticide. After contact via ingestion of contaminated food, Pymetrozine caused the death of 8.2% and 9.1% of the bees at the lowest and highest dose, respectively. However, the residual exposure mode was more harmful to adult worker bees of A mellifera, at the maximum dose. It is concluded that, in the mode of exposure of contaminated food, regardless of the dose, it was little toxic to A. mellifera bees. Regarding the residual contact, the treatment with Pymetrozine was moderately toxic, at the maximum dose, compared with the contaminated diet.