Comparison of Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Losses from Two Formulations of Methyl Parathion Applied to Sunflowers

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Abstract
When blooming sunflowers, Helianthus annuus L., were treated with microencapsulated methyl parathion, nearby colonies showed a mean loss of 460 honey bees, Apis mellifera L. Colonies located near a sunflower field treated with an emulsifiable concentrate of methyl parathion had a mean loss of 1,990 bees during this same period. Bees recovered from dead bee traps the day after treatment had methyl parathion residues of 0.27 to 1.28 ppm from microencapsulated and emulsifiable concentrate formulations, respectively. There was no difference between the methyl parathion residues in trapped pollen from each group and no evidence of brood damage to colonies exposed to either formulation of methyl parathion.