Introduction Intense development of agriculture and animal production has caused exposure to substances with which bees have never before come into contact. The increasing demand for food has forced farmers to use more mineral fertilizers and pesticides to generate higher yields [1]. The residues of these substances in the form of contaminants are then transferred into grains, vegetables, and fruit [2]. They have also been discovered in herbs such as mint (Mentha ) or lemon balm (Melissa offcinalis ) [3]. While working on fowers, bees are exposed to direct and indirect contact with pesticides which, depending on the mode of action and the concentration of active substance, can lead to sudden death of pollinating insects or cause death within a couple of hours follo- wing exposure [4]. It becomes dangerous when the level of pesticides or their residues in a beehive becomes Pol. J. Environ. Stud. Vol. 27, No. 2 (2018), 787-792 Original Research The Impact of Selected Pesticides on Honey Bees Paweł Migdał 1 *, Adam Roman 1 , Ewa Popiela-Pleban 1 , Monika Kowalska-Góralska 2 , Sebastian Opaliński 1 1 Department of Environment, Hygiene and Animal Welfare, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 51-630 Wrocław, Poland 2 Institute of Biology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 51-630 Wrocław, Poland Received: 2 March 2017 Accepted: 28 May 2017 Abstract The presence of honey bee in the environment has a signifcant impact on global agricultural production. While searching for pollen and nectar, the bee is often exposed to several contaminants such as plant protection products. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of selected pesticides from various groups (fungicides, herbicides, insecticides) on the way the bees harvested food as well as on their behavior, survival rate and the concentration of certain elements in the organisms of bee. The concentration possibly similar to this applied in agriculture and recommended by the manufacturers, were used. The research material was analyzed in terms of the presence of trace elements (manganese, copper, iron, nickel, zinc, lead, cadmium) of different toxicity. The study clearly indicates that selected pesticides used for the purpose of plant protection and plant cultivation may adversely on bees’ behavior and accumulation of trace elements in their body. Among the tested pesticides particular attention should be paid to fungicides that are not commonly tested for their effects on the honey organ. In own studies showed, their effect signifcantly changed the content of copper and negatively affected the survival of the bees. Keywords: behavior, trace elements, pesticides, honey bee *e-mail: pawel.migdal@upwr.edu.pl DOI: 10.15244/pjoes/74154 ONLINE PUBLICATION DATE: 2018-01-10