Effect of heavy metals on food mobilization of honeybees

Abstract

Bees and their products selectively accumulate some metals. Tissues of bees and perg accumulate cadmium and copper, propolis - zinc, honey and wax - cobalt. The task of our research was to identify the behavioral responses of bees to high concentrations of heavy metals. The article presents the results of the mobilization activity of feeding bees with the addition of heavy metals to sugar syrup, as well as the effect of heavy metals on food mobilization of bees. In model experiments using a feeder, with an increase in the concentration of heavy metals in the sugar syrup, the duration of feeding decreases. According to the results of the research, it was clarified that the aversive reaction of bees to heavy metals in the killing order is the following series: cadmium > lead > strontium > cobalt > zinc.