Thermoregulation

Pollinator

Brood

Endocrinology

Nest (protein structural motif)

Pesticide

Pollination

Ecology

Bumblebee

Imidacloprid

Neonicotinoid

Insect

Pollen

Acute exposure

Toxicology

Biochemistry

Biology

Zoology

Science

Trouble at the hive Neonicotinoid pesticides cause mortality and decline in insect pollinators. One repeatedly noted effect is a reduction in bee colony size. However, the mechanism behind this reduction is unclear. Crall et al. performed complex real-time monitoring of bumblebee behavior within their nests (see the Perspective by Raine). Neonicotinoid exposure reduced nurse and caretaking behaviors, which affected productivity and harmed colony thermoregulation. These changes in behavior acted together to decrease colony viability, even when exposure was nonlethal. Science , this issue p. 683 ; see also p. 643

Neonicotinoid exposure disrupts bumblebee nest behavior, social networks, and thermoregulation