Behavioral responses of honey bees (Apis mellifera) to natural and synthetic xenobiotics in food

While the natural foods of the western honey bee ( Apis mellifera ) contain diverse phytochemicals, in contemporary agroecosystems honey bees also encounter pesticides as floral tissue contaminants. Whereas some ubiquitous phytochemicals in bee foods up-regulate detoxification and immunity genes, thereby benefiting nestmates, many agrochemical pesticides adversely affect bee health even at sublethal levels. How honey bees assess xenobiotic risk...