The Cvlioua 'Beeheepen'Sponsored by the National Honey Bee Advisory BoardMetabolites and Breakdown Products: The Enduring Legacy of Bee-Toxic Pesticides

摘要

Wit comes to the safety andefficacy of pesticides, the parentpesticide generally receives the lion's share of attention from researchers, the chemical industry and regulators. This isn't too surprising given that the mode of action for pesticide products is intimately tied to the chemical and toxicological profileof the active ingredient. However, pesticide active ingredients do break down in the environment to one or more different chemicals. While some degradation products are less toxic than the parent chemical, higher toxicity degradates may also be generated. This means that, when evaluating the impacts of pesticides on honey bees, it is important to know exactly what chemicals are present.