Effects of Low-Dose Pesticides on the Nervous System and Reproduction in Honey Bees

This paper discusses the exposure of foraging honey bees to pesticides and the resulting lethal and sublethal effects that threaten colony health. It highlights the lack of validated regulatory methods to assess pesticide toxicity for bees and the need for deeper knowledge of bee physiology. Drawing on two fundamental research streams—neurotoxicity via the interaction of pesticides with ion channels and the reprotoxic impacts on drone and queen fertility—the authors describe the development of novel in vitro assays. Developed in collaboration with CNRS Montpellier and a Canadian university, these ion channel–based tests have led to patent applications. Funded by the Bee-Channels project, these innovations aim to improve risk assessment and support safer phytopharmaceutical solutions.