Bioaccumulation of Trace Elements along the Body Longitudinal Axis in Honey Bees

Abstract

We present a survey on the environmental contamination of the Alviano Lake territory (Central Italy) based on Apis mellifera ligustica samples collected in two annual samplings (2019–2020). Concentrations of 30 elements were determined in the whole bees, in the gaster, and in the body without the gaster. The study generally revealed a low level of contamination of the bee tissues. However, As showed higher concentrations than in other rural areas, although lower than in samples from urban and productive areas. On the other hand, despite the environmental context, Hg showed limited contamination levels, with the exception of a single sample. Elemental analysis along the longitudinal axis of the bees’ bodies showed greater and statistically significant presences of V, Al, Be, Pb, Cd, Co, Mn, Ba, and Sr in the gaster. The only exceptions concerned As and S (and to a lesser extent Hg), with higher concentrations found in the body without the gaster. We hypothesise that this selectivity maybe due to the affinity of these elements with S, which is abundant in the proteins of the flight muscles in the insect thorax, which are rich in amino acids containing the –SH group.