Heavy metals on honeybees indicate their concentration in the atmosphere. a proof of concept

Figures & data

Figure 1. (a,b) The beehive located in the Triennale, in Milano.

Figure 2. Mean daily values of PM₁₀ concentrations in Milano during the trial.

Table 1. Heavy metals detected on bees.

Concentration of metals on bees, µg m^–3	Mean	Min.	Max.	Median	S. D.
Pb	0.602	0.248	1.396	0.563	0.293
Ni	0.312	0.116	0.643	0.272	0.145
Cd	0.089	0.008	0.195	0.084	0.044

Figure 3. (a,b,c) Mean daily values of atmospheric Pb (a), Ni (b) and Cd (c) and heavy metals measured on bees body.

Figure 4. (a,b,c) Relationship between concentration of atmospheric Pb (a), Ni (b) and Cd (c) and heavy metal measured on bees.

Figure 5. The linear relationship between atmospheric PM₁₀ concentration and Pb detected on honeybees.