EN
In the available literature there is lack of information concerning the influence of chlorinated hydrocarbons on bee behavior during the winter which is why it was decided to estimate HCH and DDT concentration in bees leaving the hive and staying inside it during the winter. To gain bees leaving the hive, on 15th of December 2005 traps were put on the entrances of 10 hives. Traps were emptied at one week intervals till 31 January, 2006. Samples of insects were weighted and counted in the laboratory and then the concentration of HCH and DDT was determined. Regardless of external temperature, individual bees left the hive. There was no observed dependence of the influence of external air temperature on the number of bees leaving the hive. The average concentration of HCH in bees leaving the hive during the winter was 0.0031 µg/g of lipid substance (l.s.) and total DDT was 0.0226 µg/g l.s., whereas in bees from the winter cluster 0.0010 µg/g l.s. and 0.0149 µg/ g l.s., respectively, and from the scatter 0.0011 and 0.0112 µg/g l.s. The results obtained indicate that in insects, as opposed to vertebrates, even a slight amount of pesticides seems to cause metabolic disorders and in this way lead to their leaving the hive in the winter.