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Neonicotinoid residues in honey from urban and rural environments

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Abstract

Pesticide residues in honey can negatively affect bee health. Although recent studies have detected neonicotinoid residues in honeys from around the world, little is known about how residues relate to land use and vegetation composition. To investigate potential relationships, we sampled multi-floral honey from 30 Apis mellifera hives from urban, agricultural and semi-natural habitats (SNH), identified and quantified three neonicotinoids present (clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiacloprid) using UHPLC-MS, and classified surrounding land use up to 5 km around hive sites. Neonicotinoids were most frequently detected in honeys from hives in agricultural habitats, and 70% of all samples contained at least one of the three neonicotinoid compounds. Imidacloprid was the most frequently detected neonicotinoid (found in 43% of honey samples) followed by clothianidin (40%) and thiacloprid (37%). Almost half (48%) of samples contained at least two neonicotinoids, and two of the 30 samples contained all three. Clothianidin and thiacloprid were more frequently detected in honeys from urban habitats, highlighting that exposure to pesticides does not just occur in agricultural settings. This suggests that pesticide use in urban domestic, sport and amenity contexts, given potential exposure of bees and other pollinators, needs urgent consideration.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The beekeepers of Ireland and Paula Meleady (NICB) are gratefully acknowledged.

Funding

Financial support was provided by the Irish Research Council, Ireland (Postgraduate Scholarship, S. Kavanagh) and DCU Career Start Fellowship (B. White).

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Author notes

  1. Jane C. Stout and Blánaid White contributed equally to this work

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin, 9, Republic of Ireland

    Saorla Kavanagh & Blánaid White

  2. National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Dublin, 9, Republic of Ireland

    Michael Henry

  3. School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, 2, Republic of Ireland

    Jane C. Stout

  4. DCU Water Institute, Dublin City University, Dublin, 9, Republic of Ireland

    Blánaid White

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  1. Saorla Kavanagh
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  2. Michael Henry
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  3. Jane C. Stout
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  4. Blánaid White
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Contributions

SK carried out all separations and sample analysis. SK also carried out the statistical analysis. MH contributed to experimental analysis and interpretation of the results. SK, BW, JCS and MH contributed to the text of the article. SK, BW, JCS and MH read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Saorla Kavanagh.

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Kavanagh, S., Henry, M., Stout, J.C. et al. Neonicotinoid residues in honey from urban and rural environments. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 28179–28190 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12564-y

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