Native bee populations are declining globally, which will have a drastic effect on the agriculture industry and crop success. This decline could be attributed to multiple anthropogenic factors, including exposure to pesticides in agricultural fields. Pesticide exposure could be affecting the visual foraging and learning retention of native bees. The goal of this study was to determine how the organic pesticide, neem oil, affects the visual learning of Osmia lignaria, a widespread and managed species of mason bee. Upon emergence, the bees were conditioned to feed from equally rewarding artificial flowers. They were then topically exposed to neem oil at field concentrations. After, the bees were passively conditioned to associate blue flowers with being rewarding and yellow flowers being unrewarding. Bees were tested by giving them free choice between equally rewarding blue and yellow flowers. Neem oil exposed bees performed worse in learning tests suggesting a pattern visual learning disruption. Learning is crucial to the survival of the bee as it needs to associate and remember floral cues that lead to the highest reward per flower visit. Disruption of this pathway could lead the bee to not forage the necessary provisions for individual survival and ultimately, species survival.
