Tangled in microfibers: prevalence, grooming, and spread across honeybees

BUTELER, MICAELA; ALMA, A. MARINA; MANATTINI,MARÍA CELESTE; ALLASINO, MARINA; DE GROOT, GRECIA STEFANÍA; LOCATELLI, FERNANDO; SOSA MORALES, M ; TOMBA, JUAN PABLO

APIDOLOGIE

EDP SCIENCES S A

Lugar: Paris; Año: 2025

0044-8435

Plastic and microplastic (MP) pollution have emerged as a global environmental and health concern. Among these contaminants, textile microfibers (MF) constitute a major proportion of MP pollution. This study examines the presence of synthetic and natural MF in Apis mellifera bees and honey across Argentina, analyzing forager and nurse bees in three provinces and honey from multiple sources. Additionally, we investigated grooming behavior against plastic microspheres and microfibers, as well as the transfer of plastic between exposed and cleaned bees. This study investigates the prevalence of synthetic as well as natural MF, in honeybees (Apis mellifera) and honey. We analyzed forager and nurse bees in three Argentine provinces, and honey from various sources across Argentina. We detected similar levels of MF contamination in forager (206 MF) and nurse bees (186 MF). Honey samples were also contaminated (12.3 ± 8.67 MF in 500 gr) with no correlation between population density and number of MF. Raman spectroscopy identified the origin of these MF as including both natural (cotton and wool) and synthetic (polyethylene terephthalate and polyacrylonitrile) fibers. We also identified several dyes in the MF: anthraquinone-based pigments, copper-based phthalocyanines, and Indigo blue, which are commonly used to color synthetic polymers as well as natural fibers.Grooming frequency was significantly higher when bees were exposed to plastic microspheres than in bees exposed to polypropylene MF. Additionally, our findings confirmed the transfer of MF and microspheres between contaminated and clean bees, highlighting a potential pathway for MP dispersion within hives. This work underscores the urgency of comprehensively addressing microplastics and natural textile fibers in ecosystems, and their long-term ecological implications given their risks to honeybee health, pollination efficiency, and food safety.