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Advances in Entomological Techniques: Bridging Basic and Innovative Approaches

Uncovering hidden exposure routes: Integrating drone monitoring, field ecology, and chemical ecology to trace avermectin tolerance in tropical stingless bees

Sunday, November 9, 2025

4:10 PM - 4:30 PM Pacific

Location: Oregon Convention Center, D137-138, OCC

Presenting Author(s)

KP

Katja Poveda

Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Co-Author(s)

DO

Diana Obregon

ABC Colombia, Somos Territorio
Yopal, Casanare, Colombia
OG

Olger Guerrero

Universidad de la Salle
Yopal, Casanare, Colombia
DS

David Sossa

ABC Colombia, Somos Territorio
Yopal, Casanare, Colombia
ES

Elena Stashenko

CROM-MASS Laboratory, Universidad Industrial de Santander
Bucaramanga, Colombia
BR

Beatriz Ramirez

ABC Colombia, Somos Territorio
Yopal, Casanare, Colombia
CD

Christophe Duplais

Associate Professor, Department of Entomology
Cornell University
Geneva, New York

To understand how land-use change shapes pesticide exposure in pollinators, we combined drone-based landscape monitoring, field ecology, residue chemistry, palynology, and physiological assays to study stingless bee colonies (Tetragonisca angustula) across a pasture-dominated region in Colombia. Sixteen colonies were monitored in landscapes with varying proportions of pasture, quantified using drone imagery and classified to assess surrounding land cover. Bee bread was collected for pesticide and pollen analysis, and colony growth was measured as a performance indicator.

While pollen diversity positively affected colony growth, pasture cover had no direct impact. However, abamectin, a neurotoxic pesticide, was detected in bee bread at hazardous concentrations (9.6–1,856 µg/kg), increasing with pasture extent. Despite this exposure, colonies from high-pasture sites exhibited reduced mortality in laboratory assays after abamectin exposure, suggesting potential tolerance. To track contamination sources, we conducted a targeted experiment using ivermectin, a structurally similar veterinary drug, and uncovered a novel exposure route: ivermectin excreted by cattle is absorbed by flowering pasture plants and biotransformed into abamectin, later collected by foraging bees.

This study underscores the value of integrating drone-derived land-use data with chemical ecology and bioassays to reveal non-traditional pesticide exposure pathways and physiological responses in bees. Our approach bridges traditional entomological methods with aerial imaging and toxicological work, offering a framework to better detect hidden threats and adaptive processes affecting pollinator health in transformed landscapes.