Presentation Details
| The Herbicide Dicamba and Its Adjuvant Preference® Causes High Levels of Mortality in Honeybees and Wasps Yaxuan Guo, William Kimber, Luke M.Collier, David H.Sherman, Regina S.Baucom, Elizabeth A.Tibbetts. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA |
Abstract
Herbicides are the most widely used pesticides globally, but their impact on pollinators remains understudied compared to insecticides. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of a widely used herbicide, Dicamba, and its adjuvant, Preference®, on honeybees (Apis mellifera) and European paper wasps (Polistes dominula). We sprayed insects using four treatments: field dicamba dose, drift dicamba dose, Preference® alone, and a water control. In honeybees, we also assessed the effect of indirect exposure through contact with sprayed vegetation. We found that direct exposure to both Dicamba and Preference® caused high levels of mortality in honeybees and wasps, though wasps survived better than honeybees across all treatments. In contrast with direct spray, indirect contact with the treated plants did not influence honeybee survival. Overall, our results show that direct exposure to Dicamba and Preference® is harmful to pollinators. Currently, the EPA does not require toxicological testing of adjuvants such as Preference®, but our findings suggest that comprehensive risk assessment and regulation of these adjuvants may be important for protecting pollinator health.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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