A popular mosquito repellent has been found safe to use around honeybees.
Anti-bug experts Thermacell asked an entomologist to determine whether the application of their flagship product, the Thermacell MR300 Portable Mosquito Repeller, had any negative effect on the condition of honeybees.
For their experiment, Prof Margaret Couvillon from Virginia Tech University and her team had to train the bees to eat from feeders offering scented sugar water.
During the tests, which took place between 4 and 8 pm, the pollinators were tagged while the feeders were step by step placed further away from the observation hive. Eventually, they were set up right in the vapour plume spread by the mosquito repellent.
Thermacell’s devices emit a pesticide called metofluthrin. USA Today reports on its Reviewed platform that the products of the company headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, have been found safe to use around children and pets by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
According to Entomology Today, the application of Thermacell products or gadgets offered by rival firms does not prevent honeybees from foraging in the same area.
The scientists, who examined the behaviour of the bees regarding their foraging activity and waggle dance frequency, could not determine any substantial differences.
Prof Couvillon told Entomology Today: “We would expect the pesticide to have deleterious effects on a honeybee, but it’s all about the dose and the poison.”
The entomologist said the bees spent between 40 and 80 minutes in the pesticide plume during the four-hour checks.
Further research is necessary to make sure whether bees and other insects which are not targeted by those who apply the repellent are affected in the long run.
Evaluating the capacities of Thermacell’s product range, USA Today Reviewed reports: “Based on our thorough testing of Thermacell’s devices, it’s safe to say that they’re worth investing in.”
The platform claims that applying the repellents “can reduce your chances of getting itchy mosquito bites and contracting mosquito-borne illnesses.”
The study at Virginia Tech University follows a survey of the same topic at Louisiana State University.
In 2016, entomologists at the institution in Baton Rouge determined that “mosquito control done properly has minimal effects on the health of honeybees.”
