Lethal effects of tea‐oil <i>Camellia</i> on honeybee larvae due to pollen toxicity
C. X. Zhang, Hui‐Hui Feng, Yalei Liu, Shuang‐Quan Huang
Abstract
Toxicity tests on tea-oil Camellia flowers (Camellia oleifera) indicated that its pollen harmed honeybee larvae significantly more than pollen from oilseed rape (Brassica napus) flowers. The C. oleifera pollen contained high levels of the toxic triterpenoid theasaponin, which was undetectable in nectar.
Topics & Concepts
CamelliaPollenLarvaToxicityBiologyToxicologyBotanyHorticultureChemistryOrganic chemistryPlant and animal studiesInsect and Pesticide ResearchBee Products Chemical Analysis