Meeting Abstract

P3.127  Thursday, Jan. 6  Lethal and Subethal Effects of Flumethrin (VAROSTOP®) on the Anatolian Honey Bee in the Republic of Turkey DUELL, M.*; APTED, T.; HALL, N.; BATES-ALBERS, L.; PENDERGRAFT, L.; ZUNIGA, E.; SORUCU, A.; ABRAMSON, C.I.; AYDIN, L.; BARTHELL, J.F.; CAKMAK, I.; ORUC, H.H.; WELLS, H.; HRANITZ, J.M.; IKIZOGLU, D.; SELOVA, S.; Bloomsburg Univ. PA; American Somoa Community College; Loyola-Marymount Univ., Los Angeles ; Univ. of Central Oklahoma, Edmond; Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater; Humboldt State Univ., Arcata CA; Uludag Univ., Bursa Turkey ; Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater; Uludag Univ., Bursa Turkey ; Univ. of Central Oklahoma, Edmond; Uludag Univ., Bursa Turkey; Uludag Univ., Bursa Turkey jhranitz@bloomu.edu

Interactions among a multitude of environmental factors and apiary management practices confound efforts to understand honey bee population declines, a threat to billions of dollars worth of crops in the USA annually. As a global problem, international research teams examine both global and local stressors affecting honey bee population dynamics. Because commercial preparations of pesticides applied in bee hives to control Varroa destructor infestations differ among apiaries, we studied acute effects of a commercial preparation of flumethrin, or Varostop®, commonly used in Turkey to control mites on the Anatolian honey bee (Apis mellifera anatoliaca). Experiment 1 determined the 24-h LD₅₀ of orally-administered flumethrin. In Experiment 2, we investigated acute effects at 4-h post-ingestion of orally-administered flumethrin on body (antennae, abdomen, and leg) movement and the proboscis extension reflex. We report an acute oral LD₅₀ for flumethrin within the 95% confidence interval (0.03–0.09 ug flumethrin/bee) reported previously for topical application to A. mellifera mellifera. At 0.0625 ug of flumethrin per bee, behavioral impairment at 4-h post-ingestion was minor because mortality was below the 24-h LD₅₀. We interpreted doses of 0.125 ug of flumethrin per bee and above to significantly impair behavior at 4-h post-ingestion because mortality in all five treatments was above the 24-h LD₅₀.