Vineyard footprint revealed by honey bees used as sentinels for organic and inorganic contaminants in contrasted environments
Abstract
The contamination of non-target organisms by elements and pesticides can adversely affect biodiversity and key ecosystem services such as pollination. In this study, we used honey bee colonies as sentinels of environmental contamination in four distinct habitats -urban, suburban, forest, and vineyard -and collected bees every three weeks from May to November. Pesticide residues were extracted using an adapted QuEChERS method and analyzed by LC-MS/MS, while inorganic major and trace elements were measured by ICP-MS and ICP-AES. Our results show that land-use and seasonal changes shape contaminant profiles in bees. Bees from vineyards exhibited the highest contaminant diversity and loads, indicating a particularly intense contamination profile in this environment. This reflects exposure to multiple pesticide inputs -such as copper -which can accumulate over time to potentially harmful levels. Pollinators like honey bees provide effective indicators of environmental risk, as their contaminant loads may affect honey bee health and can reveal broader ecological impacts.
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BibTeX
@article{tison2026vineyard,
title = {{Vineyard footprint revealed by honey bees used as sentinels for organic and inorganic contaminants in contrasted environments}},
author = {Léa Tison and Céline Franc and Louisiane Burkart and Camille Larrue and Camille Grosgeorge and Thierry Dalix and Adrien Rusch and Gaëtane Le Provost and Gilles De Revel and Denis Thiéry},
journal = {Peer Community Journal},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.24072/pcjournal.774},
url = {https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05751606v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Vineyard footprint revealed by honey bees used as sentinels for organic and inorganic contaminants in contrasted environments
AU - Léa Tison
AU - Céline Franc
AU - Louisiane Burkart
AU - Camille Larrue
AU - Camille Grosgeorge
AU - Thierry Dalix
AU - Adrien Rusch
AU - Gaëtane Le Provost
AU - Gilles De Revel
AU - Denis Thiéry
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/03
JO - Peer Community Journal
DO - 10.24072/pcjournal.774
UR - https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05751606v1
AB - The contamination of non-target organisms by elements and pesticides can adversely affect biodiversity and key ecosystem services such as pollination. In this study, we used honey bee colonies as sentinels of environmental contamination in four distinct habitats -urban, suburban, forest, and vineyard -and collected bees every three weeks from May to November. Pesticide residues were extracted using an adapted QuEChERS method and analyzed by LC-MS/MS, while inorganic major and trace elements were measured by ICP-MS and ICP-AES. Our results show that land-use and seasonal changes shape contaminant profiles in bees. Bees from vineyards exhibited the highest contaminant diversity and loads, indicating a particularly intense contamination profile in this environment. This reflects exposure to multiple pesticide inputs -such as copper -which can accumulate over time to potentially harmful levels. Pollinators like honey bees provide effective indicators of environmental risk, as their contaminant loads may affect honey bee health and can reveal broader ecological impacts.
SN - 2804-3871
SN - 2804-3871
ER -