Influence of pesticides on ants and bees

The toxic action of pesticides on ants in the treatment of a forest depends on the kind of insecticide, the form of it, and the dose of its application.

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For example, the treatment of a forest with a 25 per cent mineral oil emulsion of HCH in a dose of 15 kg/ha affected the ants insignificantly. Only those specimens perished that came into direct contact with the pesticide during treatment or with the treated surface during the first day after the treatment.

In the overall treatment of a forest with pesticides, the self-protection of ants exhibits itself when they leave the treated surface for their anthill.

Bees are killed most frequently when during treatment the pesticides are carried away onto areas with blossoming plants.

The danger of poisoning bees depends on the properties of the compounds. Stomach pesticides are very harmful to bees. They get into an insect through nectar, pollen of the plants, or with water.

The most dangerous among the contact insecticides are those penetrating through the chitin. The bee has the most developed nervous system of all insects, therefore it is the most sensitive to insecticides affecting the nervous system. Formulations based on polychloroprene or toxaphene have a low toxicity to bees.