NZ Chlorpyrifos Study, Illinois Ban & Neonics In Building Materials

How Many Picograms Of Chlorpyrifos Does It Take To Kill A Honeybee?

A picogram is a unit of measurement that equates to a trillionth of gram. Here is a chart from MIT along with a basic explanation:

• one micro is one one-millionth of a gram, 0.000001, 10-6
• one nano is one one-billionth of a gram, .000000001, 10-9
• one pico is one one-trillionth of a gram, .000000000001, or 10-12

In a New Zealand study titled, Measurements of Chlorpyrifos Levels in Forager Bees and Comparison with Levels that Disrupt Honey Bee Odor-Mediated Learning under Laboratory Conditions, lead author Dr. Elodie Urlacher said they found that chlorpyrifos-fed bees had worse odour-learning abilities and also recalled odours more poorly later, even though the dose they ingested is considered to be “safe”.

“For example, the dosed bees were less likely to respond specifically to an odour that was previously rewarded. As honeybees rely on such memory mechanisms to target flowers, chlorpyrifos exposure may be stunting their effectiveness as nectar foragers and pollinators,” Dr Urlacher says.

The study identified the threshold dose for sub-lethal effects of chlorpyrifos on odour-learning and recall as 50 picograms of chlorpyrifos ingested per bee, she says.

“This amount is thousands of times lower than the lethal dose of pure chlorpyrifos, which is around 100 billionths of a gram. Also, it is in the low range of the levels we measured in bees in the field.”

Listen To The Interview:

In this week’s segment of The Neonicotinoid View, host, June Stoyer and Colorado beekeeper, Tom Theobald, discuss the New Zealand Study on Chlorpyrifos, unsettling news about the German population contamination due to glyphosate, scientific integrity policy reform, neonics in building materials and Illinois ban on neonicotinoids. To listen to this segment, please click the play button on the video below:

“The Neonicotinoid View”, which is produced by The Organic View Radio Show is unique, weekly program that explores the impact of neonicotinoids on the environment. Tune in each week as June and Tom explore the latest research and news from the beekeeping community.