Effects of a field-sprayed antibiotic on bee foraging behavior and pollination in pear orchards

Broadcast spraying of antibiotics in crops is widely used for controlling bacterial plant pathogens. The effects of antibiotics on non-target (and especially beneficial) organisms in cropping systems, however, are not well studied. Pollinators are of particular concern because in pear and apple crops, antibiotics for controlling fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) are sprayed during bloom, likely exposing pollinators. This is especially relevant as laboratory evidence suggests that antibiotics could have sublethal effects on bee foraging behavior and colony health. But to our knowledge these potential impacts have not been studied in field settings. Here, we compared the effects of two fire blight control methods, a single spray of an antibiotic (oxytetracycline) and a biological antagonist (Aureobasidium pullulans), on honey bee (Apis mellifera) foraging, pollination, and fruit set in pear orchards. Complementing these field assessments, we conducted laboratory experiments to examine the effects of these treatments on locomotion and foraging behavior of a bumble bee species, Bombus vosnesenskii. We found that honey bees visited fewer flowers and foraged longer on each flower in orchards sprayed with antibiotics than with a biological product, but there were no differences in crop pollination and seed set. The pear cultivars we worked in, however, can self-pollinate. In the lab, we found that feeding on high doses of either the antibiotic or the biological antagonist reduced bumble bee foraging relative to controls. The limited impact of antibiotics on pear pollination observed in this study suggest that antibiotics pose a low economic risk to pear growers, especially for self-compatible cultivars. Still, crops with higher pollinator dependence may be affected by reductions in bee visitation. Future studies should examine the impacts of multiple antibiotic sprays within a season, which are common during warm springs, and their long-term health impacts on both individual bees and colonies.