Ratnieks, Francis L W, Balfour, Nicholas J and Carreck, Norman L (2018) [Review] Have suitable experimental designs been used to determine the effects of neonicotinoid insecticides on bee colony performance in the field? Journal of Apicultural Research. ISSN 0021-8839

	PDF (This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Apicultural Research on 24/07/2018, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00218839.2018.1484055) - Accepted Version Restricted to SRO admin only until 24 July 2019. Download (377kB)
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Abstract

Laboratory studies have shown than neonicotinoid insecticides can cause sub-lethal effects on bees. Field studies are needed to determine whether these effects also occur when bees forage on flowering crops grown from neonicotinoid-treated seeds. However, for many reasons the results of field experiments may be inconsistent. For example, neonicotinoid residues in crop nectar and pollen and the availability of alternative nectar and pollen sources vary. In addition to these practical difficulties, different field experiment designs, especially different controls, address different questions. Most field studies on neonicotinoids have compared the performance of colonies adjacent to a bee-attractive crop grown from treated seeds with control colonies adjacent to the same crop grown from untreated seeds. This makes it possible to determine the cost, C, of any insecticide residues but not the overall effect of the crop, B – C, which includes any benefits, B, of the additional pollen and nectar. An alternative and rarely used design, only 1 of the 12 field studies reviewed, determines the overall effect of the crop by siting control colonies out of foraging range of the crop but in the same landscape. This design may be more relevant because bee-attractive crops, such as oilseed rape, are normally grown as alternatives to arable crops that do not provide bee forage, such as wheat and barley. As a result, it is possible that B – C > 0 (or B – C = 0) even if C > 0. The challenges and merits of alternative experimental designs are discussed in relation to practical considerations and policy making.

Item Type:	Article
Schools and Departments:	School of Life Sciences > Biology and Environmental Science School of Life Sciences > Evolution, Behaviour and Environment
Research Centres and Groups:	Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects
Subjects:	S Agriculture > SF Animal culture > SF0517 Beneficial insects and insect culture
Depositing User:	Norman Carreck
Date Deposited:	11 Sep 2018 15:21
Last Modified:	01 Feb 2019 15:58
URI:	http://srodev.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/78644

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