Joint actions of deltamethrin and azole fungicides on honey bee thermoregulation.

The effects of sublethal doses of deltamethrin, a pyrethroid insecticide, and prochloraz and difenoconazole, two azole fungicides, on honey bee thermoregulation were investigated by infrared thermography of honey bees kept at 22 degrees C. Deltamethrin at doses of 0.5 and 1.5 ng/bee did not elicit any significant effect on bee thermogenesis whereas doses of 2.5 and 4.5 ng/bee caused a severe hypothermia. Similarly, prochloraz and difenoconazole did not elicit any significant effect on thermogenesis at doses of up to 850 ng/bee whereas they triggered hypothermia at 1250 ng/bee. When associated with prochloraz or difenoconazole at 850 ng/bee, deltamethrin elicited a joint hypothermia at doses that did not induce a significant effect on thermoregulation when used alone.