Pyrethroid pesticides are highly toxic to bees. But are the bees' perception, memory, and learning centers affected by sublethal doses of these substances?
Using a battery of cognitive tests, researchers were able to show that habituation and olfactory learning are indeed affected. However, calcium imaging experiments showed that for certain pesticides, the antennal lobes of bees were not involved, implicating other, more central nervous centers.
Behavioral and neurophysiological evaluation of pyrethroid effects on honey bee olfactory perception and learning
Loïc Colin-Duchevet 1 , Antoine Couto 1 , Pierre Charnet 2 , Jean-Christophe Sandoz 3
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120198
