An antidote to help bees fight deadly insecticides

Every year, beekeepers lose about one-third of their colonies, partly because of insecticides that are decimating the bee population. Researchers at Cornell University have developed a new technology that could help beekeepers save their hives by protecting pollinators from these deadly pesticides.   In the United States, 98% of hives are contaminated by an average of six pesticides. Among the most widely used insecticides are organophosphates. These account for about one-third of the products on the market, and of the five insecticides that pose substantial risks to bees, two belong to this group. Bees are particularly exposed to these chemicals during crop pollination, and this is not without consequences. Insecticides weaken the insects’ immune systems and make them more susceptible to parasites such as Varroa mites and other devastating pathogens. Thus, whether at lethal or even sublethal doses, insecticides can impair bee productivity, thereby endangering the entire agricultural sector that depends on their pollination efforts. To protect these highly beneficial insect populations, researchers at Cornell University have developed a new system to detoxify beehives. They have developed a uniform microparticle, about the size of a pollen grain, filled with enzymes capable of detoxifying organophosphate compounds before they are absorbed by the bees and decimate bee colonies. Once ingested, these particles protect the beneficial enzymes, which are usually broken down by the acids in the bees’ stomachs. Once in the intestine, the enzymes break down the insecticides and prevent the bees from ingesting them. All the bees fed these microparticles survived exposure to high doses of pesticides. The researchers wanted to take the concept even further. Instead of filling the microparticles with enzymes capable of breaking down an insecticide, they were given a shell made of insect proteins and filled with a special absorbent oil, creating a sort of microsponge. Many insecticides are designed to target insect proteins, so the shell attracts, absorbs, and traps these toxic compounds. The insecticide is sequestered and rendered inert within the shell, and the bees simply excrete the trapped toxin. This is a low-cost, scalable solution that could potentially solve the problem of insecticide toxicity in beehives and help protect pollinators worldwide. These microparticles are expected to be available on the market by 2022.