Topic acute toxicity of Fitomas-E in honey bees (Apis mellifera)

FitoMas–E is a formulation obtained by ICIDCA. Its main uses are nutrition improvement, flowering and fructification, maturation of the cane, herbicide action enhancer, soil ameliorative, and germination maximizer. The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential contact toxicity of Fitomas-E to honey bees. The product was applied in a single topic dose of 100 μg per bee. Forty four honey bees of the Apis mellifera species were randomly distributed in two experimental groups, a control and a treated group (Fitomas-E). Mortality of the bee and the appearance of toxicity signs at 4, 24 and 48 hours after the test were the variables analyzed. The study culminated with 13.13 % of survival in the Control Group and 27.27% in the Treated Group. Concerning clinical observations, the animals did not show toxic signs, no alterations in their behavior attributed to the administration of the test substance. According to the results obtained in this highly sensitive species for ecotoxicological tests, it’s possible to conclude that Fitomas-E DL50 is higher than 100 μg per bee.