RT article
T1 Neonicotinoids in excretion product of phloem-feeding insects kill beneficial insects
A1 Calvo-Agudo, Miguel
A1 González-Cabrera, Joel
A1 Picó, Yolanda
A1 Calatayud-Vernich, Pau
A1 Urbaneja, Alberto
A1 Dicke, Marcel
A1 Tena, Alejandro
K1 Thiamethoxam
K1 P01  Nature conservation and land resources
K1 H01  Protection of plants - General aspects
K1 Environmental risk assessment
K1 Honeydew
K1 Pollinators
K1 Biological control agents
AB Pest control in agriculture is mainly based on the application of insecticides, which may impact nontarget beneficial organisms leading to undesirable ecological effects. Neonicotinoids are among the most widely used insecticides. However, they have important negative side effects, especially for pollinators and other beneficial insects feeding on nectar. Here, we identify a more accessible exposure route: Neonicotinoids reach and kill beneficial insects that feed on the most abundant carbohydrate source for insects in agroecosystems, honeydew. Honeydew is the excretion product of phloem-feeding hemipteran insects such as aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies, and psyllids. We allowed parasitic wasps and pollinating hoverflies to feed on honeydew from hemipterans feeding on trees treated with thiamethoxam or imidacloprid, the most commonly used neonicotinoids. LC-MS/MS analyses demonstrated that both neonicotinoids were present in honeydew. Honeydew with thiamethoxam was highly toxic to both species of beneficial insects, and honeydew with imidacloprid was moderately toxic to hoverflies. Collectively, our data provide strong evidence for honeydew as a route of insecticide exposure that may cause acute or chronic deleterious effects on nontarget organisms. This route should be considered in future environmental risk assessments of neonicotinoid applications.
PB National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
SN 1091-6490
YR 2019
FD 2019
LK http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/6274
UL http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/6274
LA en
NO Calvo-Agudo, M., González-Cabrera, J., Picó, Y., Calatayud-Vernich, P., Urbaneja, A., Dicke, M., & Tena, A. (2019). Neonicotinoids in excretion product of phloem-feeding insects kill beneficial insects. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(34), 16817-16822.
DS MINDS@UW
RD Aug 7, 2022