The Formamidine Amitraz as a Hyperglycemic α-Agonist in Worker Honeybees(Apis mellifera mellifera L.)in Vivo

Intra-abdominal injection of amitraz(0.25 nmol per honeybee,i.e.,approx 2.3 nmol/g)toemerging worker bees,in vivo,led to a significant hypertrehalosemia(300-400%)followed by ahyperglucosemia(≈600%).Maxima were reached at 0.5 and 2h,respectively.A strong negativecorrelation between glucosemia and trehalosemia appeared after injection of pure phentolamine(1 nmol per bee),suggesting stimulation of trehalase activities.Simultaneous administration ofthe α-blocker at≥0.25 nmol per individual suppressed the hyperglycemic response of amitraz.The formamidine pesticide thus likely acts on the honeybee α-aminergic system.1989 AcademicPress,Inc.