Colony collapse disorder and other diseases have caused the honey bee population to plummet in past years. Many people believe that pesticide use is a contributing factor to this decrease. This experiment aims to develop a simple and efficient method of detecting trace amounts of pesticide in honey samples. Currently, samples are prepared using the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Efficient, Rugged, and Safe) method and run through an HPLC to obtain a mass spectrum. Several calibration curves have been created by spiking small amounts of pesticide into honey and plotting the concentration of pesticide against the area of the resulting peak. A variety of pesticides have been tested, including glyphosate, the main ingredient in the common herbicide <i>Round-Up</i>®. These honey samples are obtained from local sources around New York State. Any results that show the presence of pesticides in honey could contribute to the hypothesis that the declining bee population is linked to pesticide use.

Detection of pesticides in locally produced honey

254th National Meeting (2017)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.