VIII SIMPOSIO INTERNAZIONALE ICPBR

HAZARDS OF PESTICIDES TO BEES

Bologna, 4-6 Settembre 2002

Effetti di Pesticidi sui bombi e su altri apoidei

Method to evaluate the interference of pesticides on pollination activity of Bombus terrestris in protected cultures

Salvatore Nucifora and Gianfranco Vasquez

Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Fitosanitarie, Sezione Entomologia agraria, Università degli Studi di Catania, via Valdisavoia 5, 95123 Catania, Italy. E-mail: nucifora@unict.it

Present work is referring to a new method, used by the authors, to verify the effect of pesticides on pollination activity of Bombus terrestris, in protected cultures.

Results obtained from some experimental trials devoted to evaluate limits and capabilities of use of the following insecticides imidacloprid, indoxacarb and spinosad, in presence of the above mentioned pollinator, are reported.

Tomato is the species that, for several aspect, demonstrates to be the most suitable for such trials.

Some fundamental aspects on which is based the proposed methodology as, minimum area requested to the trials, choice of cultivar, synchronized opening of all hives used during experiments, continuous monitoring of flight activity, are discussed.