Sulfoxaflor reduces food intake and learning efficiency of solitary Osmia bicornis bees
Janine M. Schwarz, Nicole L. Arnet, Anina C. Knauer, Denis Michez, Matthias Albrecht · 2026
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Description
Janine M. Schwarz and four colleagues tested in 2026 whether a common insecticide harms solitary bees at doses they might meet in fields. Bees face many pesticides at once, but sub-lethal effects on eating, foraging, and learning remain poorly understood. Sulfoxaflor is marketed as an alternative to neonicotinoids, yet its impact alone or with azoxystrobin on solitary bees was unknown. The team exposed red mason bees, Osmia bicornis, to field-realistic doses in the laboratory and on artificial flowers.
Sulfoxaflor cut sugar solution intake by an average of 23.8 percent and interacted antagonistically with azoxystrobin, meaning the pair did less than the sum of separate effects might suggest. Exposed bees also learned to tell rewarding from unrewarding flower colours less efficiently, while other foraging measures were unharmed. The authors read the eating and learning losses as pathways by which everyday exposure could lower bee fitness and harm solitary bee populations.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Janine M. Schwarz, Nicole L. Arnet, Anina C. Knauer, Denis Michez, Matthias Albrecht |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 45 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |