Risk assessment of sub-lethal insecticide exposure: new biomarkers and metrics in bees

PhD Candidate: Chloe Sargent

Supervisors: Dr Reinhard Stoger (UoN), Dr Thomas G. Emyr Davies (Rothamsted). Prof Ian Hardy (UoN), and Dr Lisa Chakrabarti.

The introduction of synthetic pesticides to modern agricultural practice has lead to increased efficiency, contributing to food security and therefore world-wide use. These synthetic agents, however, represent an evolutionarily new type of environmental stressor. A growing body of research suggests that insecticides - particularly from the globally used class of neonicotinoids - have subtle, sub-lethal effects on beneficial pollinator species, including honeybees and bumble bees. Honey bees and bumblebees show variation in sensitivity to different neonicotinoids due to rapid, differential metabolism of some of these compounds. Neonicotinoids are thought to have negative implications for bee reproduction, navigation, foraging performance, learning and memory.

The focus of this PhD work will be on defining and understanding sub-lethal effects exerted by new types of pesticides.