Abstract
Beehives constitute a source of environmental contaminants because forager bees explore their habitat and unintentionally accumulate them while foraging for food. Therefore, this review paper investigated different bee species and products from 55 countries to identify how they can help environmental biomonitoring by giving an overview of the past 11 years. Thereby is presented in this study the beehive’s use as a bioindicator for metals, analytical techniques, data analysis, environmental compartments, common inorganic contaminants, reference thresholds for some metal concentrations in bees and honey, and other factors over more than 100 references. Most authors agree that the honey bee is a suitable bioindicator to assess toxic metal contamination, and among its products, propolis, pollen, and beeswax are more suited than honey. However, in some situations, when comparing bees with their products, bees are more efficient as potential environmental biomonitors. Some factors such as the colony location, floral sources, regional effects, and activities surrounding the apiary influence the bees, and the composition of their products is reflected by alterations in their chemical profile, making them suitable bioindicators.
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Acknowledgements
Farias, R. A. thanks Capes for the master’s scholarship.
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This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior — Brasil (CAPES) — Finance Code 001.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Draft of the work, literature search, and data analysis by Renata Almeida Farias. Critical revision, analysis, and interpretation of data by Chalder Nogueira Nunes. Critical revision for important intellectual content, had the idea for the article, and approved the version to be published by Sueli Pércio Quináia.
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Farias, R.A., Nunes, C.N. & Quináia, S.P. Bees reflect better on their ecosystem health than their products. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 79617–79626 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-28141-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-28141-4