ArticleProceedings. Biological sciences2016
Neonicotinoid insecticides can serve as inadvertent insect contraceptives.
Article in Proceedings. Biological sciences, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers.
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Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed.
- Sublethal Acetamiprid Exposure Induces Ovarian Degeneration and HSP70/HSP90 Overexpression in Honey Bee Queens (Veterinary sciences · 2026Article
- Common herbicide impairs fertility but not survival in bumblebees, Bombus impatiens.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Unintended consequences of antibiotic use in beekeeping: drone health as a potential vulnerability.Animal microbiome · 2025Article
- Microsporidian parasite impairs colony fitness in bumblebees.Open biology · 2025Article
- From larva to adult: In vitro rearing protocol for honey bee (Apis mellifera) drones.PloS one · 2025Article
- Colony environment and absence of brood enhance tolerance to a neonicotinoid in winter honey bee workers, Apis mellifera.Ecotoxicology (London, England) · 2024Article
- Neonicotinoid exposure increases Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata: Varroidae) mite parasitism severity in honey bee colonies and is not mitigated by increased colony genetic diversity.Journal of insect science (Online) · 2024Article
- Age-dependent hypopharyngeal gland size and protein content of stingless bee workers, Tetragonula pagdeni.PloS one · 2024Article
- Article
- Exploring neonicotinoid effects onFrontiers in physiology · 2024Article
- Spermatophore development in drones indicates the metabolite support for sperm storage in honey bees (Frontiers in physiology · 2023Article
- Drone honey bees are disproportionately sensitive to abiotic stressors despite expressing high levels of stress response proteins.Communications biology · 2022Article
- Thiamethoxam as an inadvertent anti-aphrodisiac in male bees.Toxicology reports · 2022Article
- Reproductive fitness of honey bee queens exposed to thiamethoxam during development.Veterinary pathology · 2021Article
- Reproductive and Morphological Quality of Commercial Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Drones in the United States.Journal of insect science (Online) · 2021Article
- Varying impact of neonicotinoid insecticide and acute bee paralysis virus across castes and colonies of black garden ants, Lasius niger (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Review
- Honey bee queen health is unaffected by contact exposure to pesticides commonly found in beeswax.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Toxicity assessment of chronic exposure to common insecticides and bee medications on colony development and drones sperm parameters.Ecotoxicology (London, England) · 2021Article
- Factors Influencing the Reproductive Ability of Male Bees: Current Knowledge and Further Directions.Insects · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
There is clear evidence for sublethal effects of neonicotinoid insecticides on non-target ecosystem service-providing insects. However, their possible impact on male insect reproduction is currently unknown, despite the key role of sex. Here, we show that two neonicotinoids (4.5 ppb thiamethoxam and 1.5 ppb clothianidin) significantly reduce the reproductive capacity of male honeybees (drones), Apis mellifera Drones were obtained from colonies exposed to the neonicotinoid insecticides or controls, and subsequently maintained in laboratory cages until they reached sexual maturity. While no significant effects were observed for male teneral (newly emerged adult) body mass and sperm quantity, the data clearly showed reduced drone lifespan, as well as reduced sperm viability (percentage living versus dead) and living sperm quantity by 39%. Our results demonstrate for the first time that neonicotinoid insecticides can negatively affect male insect reproductive capacity, and provide a possible mechanistic explanation for managed honeybee queen failure and wild insect pollinator decline. The widespread prophylactic use of neonicotinoids may have previously overlooked inadvertent contraceptive effects on non-target insects, thereby limiting conservation efforts.
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