Food consumption in Bombus terrestris colonies during a pulsed exposure to imidacloprid.

Feeding responses of standardised Bombus terrestris colonies (N = 60) during a 28-day pulsed exposure to dietary imidacloprid. Specifically, (A) mean daily syrup and (B) mean daily pollen consumption during the initial 14-day ‘on dose’ period feeding on imidacloprid dosed syrup (filled circles) and during the subsequent 14-day ‘off dose’ period feeding on undosed control syrup (unfilled circles). Dashed lines connect the mean consumption rates of colonies over the entire 28-day pulsed exposure. Error bars indicate ± SE. Control data (zero µg kg⁻¹) are displayed slightly displaced on the x-axis for ease of inspection.