Pesticides are considered one of the most serious threats to honey bees and other insects living in agricultural landscapes. But can honey bees actually avoid contaminated flowers? According to a new scientific study published in Scientific Reports, the answer may be yes.

Исследователи из Университета Буэнос-Айреса в лабораторных условиях выяснили, способны ли пчелы распознавать пыльцу, загрязненную небольшими дозами пестицидов, в частности глифосата и имидаклоприда.
New emerged bees were reared in cages where they were provided with standard sugar syrup and two pollen samples from various plant species – both wild and cultivated, including rapeseed – one contaminated and the other uncontaminated.
The bees showed a lower preference for the contaminated pollen. Consumption declined by between 10% and 23% in the case of glyphosate, and between 12% and 20% for imidacloprid.
The findings suggest that bees can detect and, at least partially, avoid contaminated pollen. This raises hopes that such behavior could represent a natural defense strategy against environmental contamination.
However, the pesticide problem remains serious. Even under controlled laboratory conditions, bees did not completely avoid contaminated pollen. And in real-world environments, avoidance would also depend on the availability of uncontaminated flowers, which is not always guaranteed.

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