A green prophylactic treatment to reduce the absorption of toxic elements in bees

Several studies have proposed using bees and their products as bioindicators of environmental quality. The bee is also an important pollinator, helping to maintain plant biodiversity and crop production. Unfortunately, bee health can be compromised by various reasons such as environmental pollution, compromise of natural habitats, and climate change. Even the presence of toxic metals could pose a severe threat to bee welfare and the quality of its products. Recently, probiotics are gaining more attention for remediation toxicity due to some elements. Some bacteria species can adsorb toxic metals on the surface of their cell wall or accumulate them inside the cell through various mechanisms such as ion exchange, complexation, or nucleation reactions leading to precipitation. The present study highlights the beneficial effect of the probiotic administration in reducing some toxic elements in bees and, consequently, the possible adverse effects of their bioaccumulation. Two hives (experimental group) were treated with specific probiotics for bees, while other two hives (group control) were fed a placebo solution. According to previously described methods, samples were prepared and then analyzed with a quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results of this study show that administering probiotics to bees significantly reduces the content of Ba, Be, Cd, Cu, Pb, Sn, and Tl in experimental bees compared to those control from 1.2 (Cu and Pb) to 3.6 (Sn) times. Figure 1 shows the concentrations of some toxic elements in bees. This study presents the first data on toxic element levels after probiotics have been fed to bees and provides the basis for future research in agriculture, economy, and environmental activities.