ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Effects of Dietary Transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis
Maize Pollen on Hive Worker Honeybees
Z. Lipiński2, M. Farjan1, K. Żółtowska1, B. Polaczek3
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1University of Warmia and Mazury, Faculty of Biology, Division of Biochemistry,
Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
2Wengris 8, 10-735 Olsztyn, Poland
3Free University of Berlin, Institute of Zoology, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2008;17(6):957-961
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
To assess potential impacts of transgenic insect-resistant (MON 863 x MON 810) Bt maize-pollen consumption
on hive honeybees, two-, three-, four- and five-day-old workers were fed during five days with a
mixture of honey and sugar (Control, Group I), honey with non-transgenic Limagrain maize pollen (Group II)
and honey with Bacillus thuringiensis maize pollen (Group III). The consumption rate, weight of bees, protein
content, antioxidant enzyme activities and total antioxidant status were estimated. There were no significant
differences in any of the above parameters among the groups of bees fed on the three diets. Only trehalose
and maltose levels were higher in bees fed a pollen-free control diet compared to bees fed either transgenic or
non-transgenic maize pollen. Our data indicate that the transgenic pollen had no adverse impact on studied
markers of young hive honeybees.