HONEY-BEES AS INDICATORS OF RADIONUCLIDE CONTAMINATION - COMPARATIVE-STUDIES OF CONTAMINANT LEVELS IN FORAGER AND NURSE BEES AND IN THE FLOWERS OF 3 PLANT-SPECIES

Two separate field experiments were conducted as part of ongoing resea rch concerning the use of honey bees (Apis mellifera) as indicators of environmental radionuclide contamination. The experiments were conduc ted in a study site containing radionuclide contamination above backgr ound levels. The first experiment compared levels of radionuclides fou nd in forager bees to levels found in nurse bees. Bees were collected from colonies, analyzed for concentrations of radionuclides, and the r esults were compared using statistical methods. Results indicated that there is no significant difference between the contaminant levels in forager and nurse bees. A second experiment compared the levels of rad ionuclides found in the flowers of three plant species growing in the study site: salt cedar (Tamarix ramosissima), white sweet clover (Meli lotus albus), and rabbit brush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus). Results indi cated that there is no significant difference in the amounts of radion uclides found in the flowers of these three plants.