Western Honeybee and Honey as Biomonitor for Urban Metal Contamination: with Case Study in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Due to the global trend of urbanization, environmental contamination has become a critical issue globally. Metal contamination of the soil-water system mainly results in disturbances in environmental health and biotic functions. Insect biomonitoring has become a valuable environmental assessment tool that quantifies the impacts of soil and water contamination. Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) is an ideal species commonly used in urban metal biomonitoring. Honey, the natural product, also serves as a food source for human consumption. High accessibility, global distribution, species diversity, and intense interactions with the environment are factors that contribute to the effectiveness of western honeybee and honey as the urban metal biomonitor.

Metro Vancouver is selected as a case study of the urban system that encompasses a wide range of habitats. Enrichment factor (EF) and Honeybee Contamination Index (HCI) are two biomonitoring indicators used for metal contamination assessment. The results show that most study sites of Metro Vancouver are characterized by relatively insignificant anthropogenic metal deposition and high metal contamination.