Changes in the Histology of the Honey-bee Ventriculus Associated with the Ingestion of Certain Insecticides

Abstract

ALTHOUGH the histological changes produced by insecticides have been the object of study by a few investigators¹, the subject has on the whole received little attention. Recently a comparative study of the histology of the honey-bee ventriculus, following the administration, in individual graded doses, of the insecticides, acid lead arsenate, DDT and ‘Parathion’, has been made. In addition, the median lethal doses for the insecticides were determined, and observations on the behaviour of the poisoned bees and the macroscopical appearance of the mid-guts (ventriculi) were made. For the microscopical studies material was prepared with only slight modifications of standard histological procedures. (The name ‘Parathion’ is used here for the compound o,o-diethyl o,p-nitrophenyl thiophosphate.)