Honeybees are important pollinators in managed and natural ecosystems. Managing the health of honeybee populations in the face of agricultural intensification and emerging biosecurity threats continues to be a major challenge. The role of neonicotinoid insecticides in honeybee colony losses has been the subject of considerable debate, with the EU recently banning the use of three neonicotinoids. Studies in adult bees have shown that sub-lethal exposure can impair learning and memory performance, alter behaviour, reduce reproduction and increase susceptibility to disease and nutrition stress. While there is also evidence of effects on the honeybee brood, the underlying developmental, metabolic and physiological responses remain largely unknown.
In the present study, grafted larvae from three honeybee colonies were exposed to one of three sublethal doses of the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid (0.835 mg/L, 1.67 mg/L or 3.34 mg/L). Samples were taken 1h, 24h, 48h and 72h after exposure to examine dose responses over time. Metabolome, proteome and transcriptome profiles were generated for each individual larvae sampled. Integrated multi-omics is being used to link the interactions between networks of genes, proteins and biochemical reactions. In doing so, we aim to uncover the mechanistic basis of honeybee larvae responses to toxicological stress. The results from this study will be used to establish a model for a systems biology approach to ecotoxicology.