Pesticide effects on bee behavior and cognition: a bibliometric analysis of global research (2000–2025)

Bees are essential for ecosystem stability and global food security, yet their populations are declining worldwide, largely due to agrochemical exposure. Traditional pesticide risk assessments have focused on acute mortality, whereas recent ecotoxicological research increasingly emphasizes sublethal behavioral and cognitive effects. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of global research on the impacts of pesticides on bee behavior and cognition, based on 1,418 publications indexed in the Web of Science (2000–2025). Data were analyzed with the Bibliometrix R package and VOSviewer to identify publication trends, collaboration networks, and thematic evolution. Results showed a marked increase in research output after 2015, with peak productivity in 2023. The field is led by international collaborations centered in the United States, China, and Western Europe, with *Apidologie* serving as a key publication outlet. Thematic analyses revealed three major shifts: from mortality-based assessments to behavioral and cognitive endpoints such as learning, memory, and navigation; from traditional pesticides to newer compounds including flupyradifurone, sulfoxaflor, and thiacloprid; and from single-stressor approaches to multi-stressor frameworks integrating pesticide exposure with climate change, nutritional stress, and gut microbiota disruption. These findings highlight the need for regulatory frameworks that incorporate standardized behavioral, cognitive, and multi-stressor assessments to protect pollinator biodiversity and ecosystem services.