Pollinators are keystones of both agricultural and natural ecosystems and vital to agriculture and food security.  Over 4,000 species of bees are known to inhabit the United States.  Among those, the honey bee <i>Apis mellifera</i> is the most used pollinator; however, several other species are managed and extensively used for commercial pollination.  Grave concerns over decline of bees are warranted, given that wild pollinators significantly increase crop productivity even in the presence of honey bees; in addition, these bees are essential for pollination in other ecosystems.  Populations of honey bees and other pollinators have documented declines.  Drivers of decline include climate change, pesticides, habitat loss, parasites, diseases, and interactions of these factors.  Much focus has been placed on the active ingredients of pesticides; however, other agrochemicals may play a role in decreased bee health.  Adjuvants are used in tank mixing to enhance pesticide efficacy; and, in particular, the use of globally-marketed organosilicone (OSS) spray adjuvants has increased in the United States.  Detected in pollen, wax, and bees, OSS has been shown to impair honey bee learning, cause toxicity to honey bee workers, and synergize with viral pathogens.  In this talk, new data will be presented detailing exposure levels for honey bees.  Results will be presented from experiments testing the impacts of OSS on colony health of honey bees and impacts on other types of bees (bumble bees and solitary bees).  In addition, data will be presented on assessing impacts of the OSS via different exposure routes and the synergism with insecticides and fungicides.

Impact of organosilicone spray adjuvants on pollinator health and reproduction

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

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