In this section
@article{Storer:2026,
author = {Storer, K and Hawthorne, S and Lovell, C and Mahmood, F and Kenna, D and Zhu, T and Graystock, P and Gill, R},
journal = {Communications Biology},
title = {Pesticide-exposed bees fail to thermoregulate leading to cold colonies with consequences for offspring development},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR
AB - For many organisms, effective thermoregulation is needed to cope with changing environmental temperatures. But if exposure to pesticides in the environment were to impair this homeostatic process, reproduction and population viability could be at risk. Focusing on an important insect pollinator, we conducted three complementary experiments exposing bumblebees to a pesticide under different temperature challenges and measuring the impacts on thermoregulatory ability and brood development. First, we reveal that pesticideexposed individuals (food spiked with a neonicotinoid insecticide) cannot maintain a stable thorax temperature, especially at lower temperatures. Second, that reductions in body temperature are accompanied by behavioural changes with pesticide-exposed colonies failing to maintain the brood temperatures that control bees achieved. Third, that such collective impairment of brood thermoregulation (not the pesticide toxicity to offspring per se) leads to delayed pupal development and reduced adult population growth. Our study provides a plausible mechanistic pathway for why terrestrial insects requiring brood thermoregulation may be vulnerable to decline. With frequent extreme weather events forecasted, our findings have concerning implications for how populations will adequately persist and grow under current pesticide-use regimes with ramifications for pollination services.
AU - Storer,K
AU - Hawthorne,S
AU - Lovell,C
AU - Mahmood,F
AU - Kenna,D
AU - Zhu,T
AU - Graystock,P
AU - Gill,R
PY - 2026///
SN - 2399-3642
TI - Pesticide-exposed bees fail to thermoregulate leading to cold colonies with consequences for offspring development
T2 - Communications Biology
ER -
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