Cognitive impairment caused by abdominal exposure with fluvalinate in the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera

tau–Fluvalinate (fluvalinate) is a commonly used miticide (Varroa destructor), the major driver of colony collapse disorder (CCD), in the apicultural industry. Despite the relatively high tolerance of honey bees to this miticide, recent studies showed several adverse effects. The side effect on cognitive abilities, however, remains still elusive. Here, we aimed to investigate the effects of fluvalinate on the cognitive abilities of honey bees, especially associative learning, and memory. We tested the proboscis extension response (PER) to sugar taste and Pavlovian conditioning in forager bees that received a sub-lethal dose of fluvalinate on the abdomen. The current study demonstrated that sub-lethal fluvalinate induced cognitive impairment in bees. Furthermore, the comparison of gene expression patterns showed that this disorder was caused by changes in the energy metabolism associated with the subsets of specific neuropeptides that are indirectly involved in detoxification processes. Taken together, our findings are strong evidence that xenobiotics affect sensory cognition through indirect effects as well as direct damage. It might be applicable as a novel approach to exploring the mechanisms underlying the side effects of xenobiotics in various organisms.