Tangled in natural and synthetic microfibers: prevalence, grooming, and spread across honeybees
Plastic and microplastic (MP) pollution have emerged as a global environmental and health concern. Among these contaminants, textile microfibers (MF) constitute a major proportion of MP pollution. This study exam ines the presence of synthetic and natural MF in Apis mellifera bees and honey across A...
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| Format: | Artículo |
| Language: | Inglés |
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Springer Nature
2025
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24240 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13592-025-01204-w https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-025-01204-w |
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| author | Buteler, Micaela Alma, Andrea Marina Manattini, María Celeste Allasino, Mariana Laura de Groot, Grecia Stefanía Locatelli, Fernando Federico Sosa Morales, Marcelo Tomba, Juan Pablo |
| author_browse | Allasino, Mariana Laura Alma, Andrea Marina Buteler, Micaela Locatelli, Fernando Federico Manattini, María Celeste Sosa Morales, Marcelo Tomba, Juan Pablo de Groot, Grecia Stefanía |
| author_facet | Buteler, Micaela Alma, Andrea Marina Manattini, María Celeste Allasino, Mariana Laura de Groot, Grecia Stefanía Locatelli, Fernando Federico Sosa Morales, Marcelo Tomba, Juan Pablo |
| author_sort | Buteler, Micaela |
| collection | INTA Digital |
| description | Plastic and microplastic (MP) pollution have emerged as a global environmental and health concern. Among these contaminants, textile microfibers (MF) constitute a major proportion of MP pollution. This study exam ines the presence of synthetic and natural MF in Apis mellifera bees and honey across Argentina, analyzing forager and nurse bees in three provinces and honey from multiple sources. Additionally, we investigated grooming behavior upon plastic microspheres and MF exposure as the transfer of these microplastics between exposed and cleaned bees. We detected similar levels of MF contamination in forager (206 MF) and nurse bees (186 MF). Honey samples were also contaminated (12.3±8.67 MF in 500 g) and no correlation between population density and number of MF was found. Raman spectroscopy identified the origin of these MF as including both natural (cotton and wool) and synthetic
(polyethylene terephthalate and polyacrylonitrile) MF. We also identified several dyes in the MF: anthraquinone-based pigments, copper-based phthalocyanines, and Indigo blue, which are commonly used to color synthetic polymers and natural fibers. Grooming frequency was significantly higher for bees exposed to plastic microspheres than for those exposed to MF. Additionally, our findings confirmed the transfer of both MF and microspheres from contaminated to clean bees, highlighting a potential pathway for MP dispersion inside hives. This work underscores the urgency of comprehensively addressing synthetic microplastics and natural textile fibers in ecosystems, and their long-term ecological implications given their risks to honeybee health, pollination efficiency, and food safety. |
| format | Artículo |
| id | INTA24240 |
| institution | Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina) |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| publisherStr | Springer Nature |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | INTA242402025-10-21T13:44:14Z Tangled in natural and synthetic microfibers: prevalence, grooming, and spread across honeybees Buteler, Micaela Alma, Andrea Marina Manattini, María Celeste Allasino, Mariana Laura de Groot, Grecia Stefanía Locatelli, Fernando Federico Sosa Morales, Marcelo Tomba, Juan Pablo Apis mellifera Microplástico Polución del Aire Microplastics Air Pollution Honey Bees Polyethylene Abeja Melífera Polietileno Plastic and microplastic (MP) pollution have emerged as a global environmental and health concern. Among these contaminants, textile microfibers (MF) constitute a major proportion of MP pollution. This study exam ines the presence of synthetic and natural MF in Apis mellifera bees and honey across Argentina, analyzing forager and nurse bees in three provinces and honey from multiple sources. Additionally, we investigated grooming behavior upon plastic microspheres and MF exposure as the transfer of these microplastics between exposed and cleaned bees. We detected similar levels of MF contamination in forager (206 MF) and nurse bees (186 MF). Honey samples were also contaminated (12.3±8.67 MF in 500 g) and no correlation between population density and number of MF was found. Raman spectroscopy identified the origin of these MF as including both natural (cotton and wool) and synthetic (polyethylene terephthalate and polyacrylonitrile) MF. We also identified several dyes in the MF: anthraquinone-based pigments, copper-based phthalocyanines, and Indigo blue, which are commonly used to color synthetic polymers and natural fibers. Grooming frequency was significantly higher for bees exposed to plastic microspheres than for those exposed to MF. Additionally, our findings confirmed the transfer of both MF and microspheres from contaminated to clean bees, highlighting a potential pathway for MP dispersion inside hives. This work underscores the urgency of comprehensively addressing synthetic microplastics and natural textile fibers in ecosystems, and their long-term ecological implications given their risks to honeybee health, pollination efficiency, and food safety. EEA San Juan Fil: Buteler, Micaela. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medio Ambiente y Biodiversidad (INIBIOMA). Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Hormigas y otros Artrópodos (LIHO); Argentina. Fil: Buteler, Micaela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medio Ambiente y Biodiversidad (INIBIOMA). Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Hormigas y otros Artrópodos (LIHO); Argentina. Fil: Alma, Andrea Marina. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medio Ambiente y Biodiversidad (INIBIOMA). Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Hormigas y otros Artrópodos (LIHO); Argentina. Fil: Alma, Andrea Marina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medio Ambiente y Biodiversidad (INIBIOMA). Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Hormigas y otros Artrópodos (LIHO); Argentina. Fil: Manattini, María Celeste. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medio Ambiente y Biodiversidad (INIBIOMA). Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Hormigas y otros Artrópodos (LIHO); Argentina. Fil: Manattini, María Celeste. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medio Ambiente y Biodiversidad (INIBIOMA). Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Hormigas y otros Artrópodos (LIHO); Argentina. Fil: Allasino, Mariana Laura. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Juan; Argentina Fil: de Groot, Grecia Stefanía. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medio Ambiente (INIBIOMA). Grupo de Investigación en Ecología de la Polinización (ECOPOL); Argentina. Fil: de Groot, Grecia Stefanía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medio Ambiente (INIBIOMA). Grupo de Investigación en Ecología de la Polinización (ECOPOL); Argentina. Fil: Locatelli, Fernando Federico. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias; Argentina. Fil: Locatelli, Fernando Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias; Argentina. Fil: Sosa Morales, Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; Argentina. Fil: Tomba, Juan Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; Argentina. 2025-10-21T13:25:13Z 2025-10-21T13:25:13Z 2025-09-09 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24240 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13592-025-01204-w Buteler, M., Alma, A.M., Manattini, M.C. et al. Tangled in natural and synthetic microfibers: prevalence, grooming, and spread across honeybees. Apidologie 56, 82 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-025-01204-w 0044-8435 1297-9678 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-025-01204-w eng info:eu-repograntAgreement/INTA/2019-PE-E1-I017-001, Desarrollo del sector apícola organizado, sustentable y competitivo info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Springer Nature Apidologie 56 (82) : 1-17 (September 2025). |
| spellingShingle | Apis mellifera Microplástico Polución del Aire Microplastics Air Pollution Honey Bees Polyethylene Abeja Melífera Polietileno Buteler, Micaela Alma, Andrea Marina Manattini, María Celeste Allasino, Mariana Laura de Groot, Grecia Stefanía Locatelli, Fernando Federico Sosa Morales, Marcelo Tomba, Juan Pablo Tangled in natural and synthetic microfibers: prevalence, grooming, and spread across honeybees |
| title | Tangled in natural and synthetic microfibers: prevalence, grooming, and spread across honeybees |
| title_full | Tangled in natural and synthetic microfibers: prevalence, grooming, and spread across honeybees |
| title_fullStr | Tangled in natural and synthetic microfibers: prevalence, grooming, and spread across honeybees |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tangled in natural and synthetic microfibers: prevalence, grooming, and spread across honeybees |
| title_short | Tangled in natural and synthetic microfibers: prevalence, grooming, and spread across honeybees |
| title_sort | tangled in natural and synthetic microfibers prevalence grooming and spread across honeybees |
| topic | Apis mellifera Microplástico Polución del Aire Microplastics Air Pollution Honey Bees Polyethylene Abeja Melífera Polietileno |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/24240 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13592-025-01204-w https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-025-01204-w |
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