Louis Hautier

Honeybee Colony Disorder in Crop Areas: The Role of Pesticides and Viruses

As in many other locations in the world, honeybee colony losses and disorders have increased in Belgium. Some of the symptoms observed rest unspecific and their causes remain unknown. The present study aims to determine the role of both pesticide exposure and virus load on the appraisal of unexplained honeybee colony disorders in field conditions. From July 2011 to May 2012, 330 colonies were monitored. Honeybees, wax, beebread and honey samples were collected. Morbidity and mortality information provided by beekeepers, colony clinical visits and availability of analytical matrix were used to form 2 groups: healthy colonies and colonies with disorders (n = 29, n = 25, respectively). Disorders included: (1) dead colonies or colonies in which part of the colony appeared dead, or had disappeared; (2) weak colonies; (3) queen loss; (4) problems linked to brood and not related to any known disease. Five common viruses and 99 pesticides (41 fungicides, 39 insecticides and synergist, 14 herbicides, 5 acaricides and metabolites) were quantified in the samples.The main symptoms observed in the group with disorders are linked to brood and queens. The viruses most frequently found are Black Queen Cell Virus, Sac Brood Virus, Deformed Wing Virus. No significant difference in virus load was observed between the two groups. Three acaricides, 5 insecticides and 13 fungicides were detected in the analysed samples. A significant correlation was found between the presence of fungicide residues and honeybee colony disorders. A significant positive link could also be established between the observation of disorder and the abundance of crop surface around the beehive. According to our results, the role of fungicides as a potential stressor for honeybee colonies should be further studied, either by their direct and/or indirect impacts on bees and bee colonies.

Intraguild predation by Harmonia axyridis on coccinellids revealed by exogenous alkaloid sequestration

Summary.Under laboratory conditions, the multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis is well known as an intraguild predator of other ladybirds. However the real impact of this exotic species on native species was poorly investigated in the field. Because many ladybird species produce alkaloids as defensive compounds, we propose here a new method of intraguild predation monitoring in coccinellids based on alkaloid quantification by GC-MS. In laboratory experiments, adaline was unambiguously detected in fourth instar larvae of H. axyridis having ingested one egg or one first instar larva of Adalia bipunctata. Although prey alkaloids in the predator decreased with time, traces were still detected in pupae, exuviae and imagines of H. axyridis having ingested one prey when they were fourth instar larvae. Analysis of H. axyridis larvae collected in two potato fields shows for the first time in Europe the presence of exogenous alkaloids in 9 out of 28 individuals tested. This new method of intraguild predation detection could be used more widely to follow the interactions between predators and potential chemically defended insect preys.

Detecting arthropod intraguild predation in the field

The process of biological control carries a distinct risk that an alien biological control agent (BCA) will become established as an invasive alien species with an associated threat to the local ecosystem biodiversity. It is imperative that a wide-ranging environmental risk assessment (ERA) is performed before the release of any BCA. This should include considering various potential but difficult to observe ecological interactions between the BCA and members of the native community, including disruption of intraguild relationships. Detection of intraguild predation (IGP) events involving predatory arthropods in the field can be done by analyzing their gut contents. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a sensitive and specific tool to identify target prey DNA within a predator’s gut. This paper reviews the efficiency of a DNA based approach for detecting IGP in the field, compared with detection by the use of monoclonal antibodies or gas chromatography. Prey specificity, detection times after prey consumption, capacity for quantification, multiple prey targeting and the time and costs involved in developing and using the different methods are considered.

Assessing the ecological risk posed by a recently established invasive alien predator: Harmonia axyridis as a case study

Invasive alien predators are a serious threat to biodiversity worldwide. However, there is no generic method for assessing which local species are most at risk following the invasion of a new predator. The harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), is an alien in Europe and many other parts of the world where it affects other species of ladybirds through competition for food and intra-guild predation (IGP). Here, we describe a method developed to assess which European ladybird species are most at risk following the invasion of H. axyridis. The three components of the risk assessment are: the likelihood that the assessed native species encounters H. axyridis in the field, the hazard of competition for food, and the IGP hazard. Thirty native European ladybird species were assessed through data obtained from field observations, laboratory experiments and literature reviews. The species that are considered most at risk are found on deciduous trees, have immature stages which are highly vulnerable to IGP by H. axyridis, and are primarily aphidophagous. These species should be the focus of specific studies and possibly conservation actions. The risk assessment method proposed here could be applied to other alien predators which are considered a threat to native species through competition and predation.

Spiny Prey, Fortunate Prey. Dorsal Spines Are an Asset in Intraguild Interactions among Lady Beetles

The Multicolored Asian Ladybird, Harmonia axyridis, is an extremely successful invasive species. Here we suggest that, in addition to many other traits, the dorsal spines of its larvae contribute to their success, as suggested by behavioural observations of agonistic interactions between H. axyridis and European coccinellids. In coccinellids, the role of dorsal spines in these interactions has been poorly studied and they could be a physical protection against intraguild predators. Dorsal spines of second instar H. axyridis larvae were removed with micro-scissors, which resulted in spineless larvae after moulting (spineless group). These larvae were then exposed to starved Coccinella septempunctata larvae. Two control categories were also submitted to interactions: H. axyridis larvae with all their spines (control group) and with their spines, but injured by pin stings (injured group). Spine removal at the second instar did not hamper H. axyridis development. The bite rate by C. septempunctata was significantly higher on the spineless H. axyridis and more dorsally located compared to the control and injured groups, while no bite rate difference was observed between the injured and the control group. Our results suggest that in addition to behavioural and chemical defenses, the dorsal spines play a significant protective role against bites. Therefore, spines in ladybirds could be considered as a morphological defense against intraguild predation. In H. axyridis, these defenses might contribute to its success in food resources already exploited by other guild members and thus further facilitate the invasion of new areas.

Time-to-death approach to reveal chronic and cumulative toxicity of a fungicide for honeybees not revealed with the standard ten-day test

Synthetic fungicides are pesticides widely used in agriculture to control phytopathogenic fungi. The systemicity, persistency and intense application of some of these fungicides, such as boscalid, leads to long periods of exposure for honeybees via contaminated water, pollen and nectar. We exposed adult honeybees in the lab to food contaminated with boscalid for 33 days instead of the standard 10-day test. Most of the toxic effects were observed after 10 days. The median time to death (LT50) ranged from 24.9 days (lowest concentration) to 7.1 days (highest concentration) and was significantly shorter in all cases than with the control (32.0 days). The concentration and dietary doses of boscalid inducing 50% mortality (LC50 and LDD50, respectively) decreased strongly with the time of exposure: LC50 = 14,729 and 1,174 mg/l and LDD50 = 0.318 and 0.0301 mg bee−1 day−1 at days 8 and 25, respectively. We found evidence of reinforced toxicity when exposure is prolonged, but with an unusual pattern: no cumulative toxicity is observed until 17–18 days, when a point of inflexion appears that suggests a reduced capacity of bees to deal with the toxicant. Our results show the importance of time-to-death experiments rather than fixed-duration studies for evaluating chronic toxicity.