Environmental context Neonicotinoids are a group of widely used insecticides that have
been implicated in the deterioration of honeybee health and the declining number of
honeybee colonies worldwide. We wanted to find out whether neonicotinoids are commonly
present in pollen and honey, which are the main food sources for bees. The results show
that neonicotinoids are ubiquitous in the environment where bees foraged, and therefore
could pose risks to honeybee health. Abstract It is known that honeybees are exposed to a …

It is known that honeybees are exposed to a wide variety of pesticides, including systemic
neonicotinoids, through different media. Pollen might be a better matrix for assessing
exposure to neonicotinoid not only because it is the protein source for bees, but also
because pollen collected from foraging bees could help to establish the field-realistic levels
of neonicotinoids. In this study, we aimed to assess temporal and spatial variations of
neonicotinoids in pollen collected across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Monthly …