Scientists changed the fats in honeybees’ diets before pesticide exposure; survival rose to 90%, compared with below 50% on other diets

Bee (Representative image) A new Penn State study suggests that honey bees may be better able to withstand pesticide exposure when their diet contains more polyunsaturated fatty acids, a type of fat commonly associated with healthy cell function, brain support and heart health in humans. In the experiment, bees fed a polyunsaturated-fat-rich diet had a 90% survival rate after pesticide exposure, compared with less than 50% for bees fed diets high in saturated or monounsaturated fats.The findings add a fresh layer to what scientists already know about bee nutrition. It is not only how much bees eat that matters, but also the quality of the fats in their food. That could have implications for managed honey bee colonies, pollinator-friendly habitats and the way farmers think about supporting bees in agricultural landscapes.What the researchers studiedThe work, published in the Journal of Insect Physiology, looked at how different dietary fats affect bee survival after exposure to chlorpyrifos, a pesticide widely used in agriculture. The researchers compared three fat types: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.Each group of bees was fed a protein-based diet enric...