Seed coating (‘seed treatment’) is the leading delivery method of neonicotinoid insecticides in major crops such as soybean, wheat, cotton and maize. However, this prophylactic use of neonicotinoids is widely discussed from the standpoint of environmental costs. Growing soybean plants from neonicotinoid-coated seeds in field, we demonstrate that soybean aphids (Aphis glycines) survived the treatment, and excreted honeydew containing neonicotinoids. Biochemical analyses demonstrated that honeydew excreted by the soybean aphid contained substantial concentrations of neonicotinoids even one month after sowing of the crop. Consuming this honeydew reduced the longevity of two biological control agents of the soybean aphid, the predatory midge Aphidoletes aphidimyza and the parasitic wasp Aphelinus certus. These results have important environmental and economic implications because honeydew is the main carbohydrate source for many beneficial insects in agricultural landscapes.

Aim of this study was to determine by Ion Chromatography ions (Na+, Ca++, Mg++, NH4+, Cl−, Br−, SO42−, NO3−, PO43−) in honeys (honeydew and floral nectar honeys) from different Italian Regions and from countries of the Western Balkan area. The compositional data were processed by multivariate analysis (PCA and HCA). Arboreal honeydew honeys from the Western Balkans had higher concentrations (from two to three times) of some environmental pollutants (Br−, SO42− and PO43− contents), due to industrial and agricultural activities, than those from Italian regions. The cationic profiles were very similar in both groups. Multivariate analysis indicated a clear difference between nectar honeys and arboreal/honeydew honeys (recognition of the botanical origin). These findings point to the potential of ionic constituents of honey as indicators of environmental pollution, botanical origin and authenticity.

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a recognised disruptor of biological function and ecological communities. Despite increasing research effort, we know little regarding the effect of ALAN on woody plants, including trees, or its indirect effects on their colonising invertebrates. These effects have the potential to disrupt woodland food webs by decreasing the productivity of invertebrates and their secretions, including honeydew and lerps, with cascading effects on other fauna. Here, we cultivated juvenile river red gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) for 40 weeks under experimentally manipulated light (ALAN) or naturally dark (control) conditions. To assess direct impacts on tree growth, we took multiple measures of growth at four time periods, and also measured physiological function, biomass and investment in semi-mature trees. To assess experimentally the direct and indirect (tree-mediated) impacts of ALAN on invertebrates, from 19 weeks onwards, we matched and mismatched trees with their original ALAN environments. We colonised trees with a common herbivore of E. camaldulensis, the red gum lerp psyllid (Glycaspis nr. brimblecombei) and then measured the effects of current and historic tree lighting treatment on the psyllid life cycle. Our data revealed direct effects of ALAN on tree morphology: E. camaldulensis trees exposed to ALAN shifted biomass allocation away from roots and into leaves and increased specific leaf area. However, while the intensity of ALAN was sufficient to promote photosynthesis (net carbon gain) at night, this did not translate into variation in tree water status or photosystem adaptation to dim night-time light for ALAN-exposed trees. We found some evidence that ALAN had broad-scale community effects—psyllid nymphs colonising ALAN trees produced more lerps—but we found no other direct or indirect impacts of ALAN on the psyllid life cycle. Our results suggest that trees exposed to ALAN may share morphological responses with trees under dim daylight conditions. Further, ALAN may have significant ‘bottom-up’ effects on Eucalyptus woodland food webs through both trees and herbivores, which may impact higher trophic levels including woodland birds, mammals and invertebrates.

The use of some systemic insecticides has been banned in Europe because they are toxic to beneficial insects when these feed on nectar. A recent study shows that systemic insecticides can also kill beneficial insects when they feed on honeydew. Honeydew is the sugar-rich excretion of hemipterans and is the most abundant carbohydrate source for beneficial insects such as pollinators and biological control agents in agroecosystems. Here, we investigated whether the toxicity of contaminated honeydew depends on i) the hemipteran species that excretes the honeydew; ii) the active ingredient, and iii) the beneficial insect that feeds on it. HPLC-MS/MS analyses demonstrated that the systemic insecticides pymetrozine and flonicamid, which are commonly used in Integrated Pest Management programs, were present in honeydew excreted by the mealybug Planococcus citri. However, only pymetrozine was detected in honeydew excreted by the whitefly Aleurothixus floccosus. Toxicological studies demonstrated that honeydew excreted by mealybugs feeding on trees treated either with flonicamid or pymetrozine increased the mortality of the hoverfly Sphaerophoria rueppellii, but did not affect the parasitic wasp Anagyrusvladimiri. Honeydew contaminated with flonicamid was more toxic for the hoverfly than that contaminated with pymetrozine. Collectively, our data demonstrate that systemic insecticides commonly used in IPM programs can contaminate honeydew and kill beneficial insects that feed on it, with their toxicity being dependent on the active ingredient and hemipteran species that excretes the honeydew.

Honey is a natural substance produced by honey bees (the genus Apis) enjoyed by people due to its unique nutritional and medicinal properties. The aim of this study was to determine the physicochemical parameters (moisture, ash, water-insoluble content, reducing sugars, sucrose, free acidity, diastase activity, hydroxymethylfurfural, and electrical conductivity) and microbiological status (total number of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, total number of sulfite-reducing clostridia, the presence of Salmonella spp., total numbers of fungi and yeasts and the presence of Clostridium botulinum) in honey (honeydew, blossom, sunflower, acacia, and linden) produced in an urban environment in Serbia. We analyzed 19 apiary samples of honey, collected during the 2011 harvesting season, by using recommendation methods. Physicochemical parameters of the examined honey produced in the urban environment indicated the honeys were of acceptable quality. Bacillus spp. were detected in four honeys, yeasts were detected in three honeys, and Clostridium botulinum type E was detected in one honey using PCR. The current study also showed the presence of diverse honey varieties in Serbia.