Acute oral toxicity of fipronil on the stingless bee frieseomelitta varia (Lepeletier, 1836)

Abstract

Stingless bees are essential pollinating insects, contributing to the maintenance of biodiversity and agricultural production. However, during their foraging activity, they encounter pesticides that can harmtheir populations. The present study aims to evaluate the acute oral lethal concentration (LC) of fipronil inthe stingless bee species Frieseomelitta varia. The LC10, LC25, and LC50 were calculated for a 48-hour period, which were 61.2, 112.2, and 219.9 ng/mL, respectively, and for the 96-hour period, which were 15.07, 29.3,and61.33ng/mL,respectively. The study highlights the importance of the conscious use of pesticides, as damage to pollinating insect populationscanbe botheconomicallyandecologically detrimenta