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Chemical in insect repellents impairs bees ability to find way home

A new study published in Biology Letters found that Thermacell mosquito repellent devices impair bumblebees' ability to return to their nests, according to researchers from the University of Turku and University of Oulu in Finland.
Researchers tracked 167 buff-tailed bumblebees, Bombus terrestris, after exposing them to prallethrin for one, ten, or twenty minutes, then released them one kilometer from their nests to monitor return over three days.
While 37 percent of unexposed bees returned, return rates dropped sharply: 17 percent after ten minutes of exposure and 5 percent after twenty minutes, though researchers noted exposure did not increase immediate mortality.
Failure to return to the nest prevents workers from collecting food, potentially leading to colony death as the effect builds, warned Olli Loukola from the University of Turku.
Researcher Kimmo Kaakinen from the University of Turku emphasized the need to reassess these products' ecological safety, as cumulative worker loss could silently threaten entire bumblebee populations.

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