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BACKGROUND: Bumblebees have been shown to be very effective pollinators for most greenhouse tomatoes. Neonicotinoid insecticides are one of the most widely used pesticides in tomato crops in Korea. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study was carried out to investigate the toxicity of four neonicotinoid insecticides (clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam) to bumblebees based on the OECD guidelines (No.246, 247). The 48 hr LD50 (μg a.i. /bumblebee) values in the acute contact toxicity tests were determined as follows: clothianidin (0.467 μg a.i. / bumblebee) > thiamethoxam (0.747 μg a.i. / bumblebee) > dinotefuran (3.741 μg a.i. / bumblebee) > imidacloprid (3.967 μg a.i. / bumblebee). The 48 hr LD50 values in the acute oral toxicity tests were determined as follows: clothianidin (0.005 μg a.i. / bumblebee) > thiamethoxam (0.018 μg a.i. / bumblebee) > dinotefuran (0.056 μg a.i. / bumblebee) > imidacloprid (0.325 μg a.i. / bumblebee). CONCLUSION: This study provided the basic toxicological data of neonicotinoid insecticides for bumblebees. In the near future, acute toxicity and mixture toxicity of other pesticides to bumblebees could be determined using this method.
