The toxicity to foraging honeybees, Apis mellifera, of endosulfan, malathion and azinphos‐methyl applied to flowering oil seed rape, Brassica napus

Abstract

SUMMARY Wettable powder and emulsifiable concentrate formulations of endosulfan and azinphos‐methyl and an emulsifiable concentrate of malathion were sprayed on oil seed rape in full flower to assess their relative toxicities to foraging honeybees. Endosulfan was very much safer to honeybees than the two organophosphate insecticides, but there was little difference between the two types of formulation.