Bees and other pollinators​

Our company offers a broad range of higher tier studies to test the effects of plant protection products on bees and other pollinators.

Tests can be performed with:

  • Honey bees (Apis mellifera)
  • Bumble bees (e.g. Bombus terrestris)
  • Solitary bees (e.g. mason bees, Osmia sp.)
  • Natural pollinator communities (e.g. monitoring studies)

We offer semi-field (tunnel) and field studies that are conducted according to current OEPP/EPPO, CEB and OECD guidelines as well as studies that are tailored to our clients’ needs. Our team is experienced in organising and performing sampling for residue analyses on bees (e.g. adult bees or larvae) and bee-relevant hive matrices (pollen, nectar, guttation fluid and honeydew). 

Examples of studies recently conducted by our team are:

  • Effect studies on bees (honey bee, bumble bee, mason bee) at the landscape level (large-scale study)
  • Population monitoring of wild bee species
  • Honey bee monitoring studies, including overwintering
  • Long-term monitoring of residues in bee-relevant matrices in succeeding crops 

A detailed list of our services is as follows:

MRL honey study (SANTE/11956/2016)​

Semi-field and field studies on honey bee colonies, including assessments according to OEPP/EPPO 170 (4)​

Semi-field and field studies on bumble bees or solitary bees​

Studies performed according to the CEB draft Guideline No. 230​

Brood tests according to the OECD guidance document No. 75​

Residue studies of bee-relevant matrices (pollen, nectar, guttation fluid and honeydew) directly sampled from plants or extracted from forager bees​

Studies of residues in adult bees and larvae​

Pollen composition analysis (palynology) and honey bee dissection (e.g. to sample stomach contents) in our laboratory​

Monitoring and evaluation of populations of wild bees (Apidae) in agricultural landscapes​

Dust application studies according to the OEPP/EPPO Guideline No. 170​