Can pesticide acute toxicity for bumblebees be derived from honeybee LD50 values?

contribution to session II Bumblebees and other bee specie

Introduction de jachères florales en zones de grandes cultures : comment mieux concilier agriculture, biodiversité et apiculture ?

Les abeilles au sens large représentent plus de 20 000 espèces dans le monde. Or, un déclin des populations d'abeilles a été récemment observé en Europe (Biesmeijer et al., 2006 ; Rasmont et al., 2006). Il pose le problème du risque de disparition de ces insectes auxiliaires et de sa répercussion sur les activités humaines qui leur sont liées comme l’apiculture, la production de fruits, de légumes, de semences. La FAO (Nations-Unies) a lancé, en 1996, un cri d’alarme à l’attention de tous les gouvernements pour sauvegarder cette faune d’auxiliaires. Les causes possibles de ce déclin sont multiples (Kearns et al., 1998 ; Ghazoul, 2005). Les plus citées concernent la destruction et la fragmentation de l’habitat des abeilles (Richards, 2001 ; Steffan-Dewenter et al., 2006) et l'impact des produits phytopharmaceutiques (Kevan, 1975 ; Johansen et al., 1983 ; Taséi, 1996 ; Haskell et McEwen, 1998)

Varroosis and others honey bee diseases : major causes for colony mortality in France

Various investigations carried out in France since 1987 have shown the correlation between winter mortality and diseases in bees. In 2008, very high mortality rates are back despite the removal from the market of the systemic insecticides Gaucho NT and Regent NT. The overall clinical picture observed in the colonies has not changed since the late 80s. The syndrome includes a small cluster of dead bees in the upper part of the frames, large quantities of honey, and often of bee bread. Laboratory examinations show the presence of Varroa destructor, viruses and concomitant diseases such as nosemosis. The most important treatment period to minimize winter mortality is the very beginning of autumn, when effective acaricidal treatments must be carried out. Information and training of beekeepers play a crucial role and must be implemented as soon as possible.Différentes enquêtes réalisées en France depuis 1987 ont montré une corrélation entre la mortalité hivernale et les maladies des abeilles. En 2008, les taux de mortalité sont de nouveau très importants malgré la suppression des insecticides systémiques Gaucho(NT) et Régent(NT) Les symptômes rencontrés dans les colonies, et qui ont très peu évolué au cours du temps, sont principalement une petite grappe d'abeilles mortes à la partie supérieure des cadres, de fortes réserves de miel et souvent de pain d'abeille. Les analyses de laboratoire mettent en évidence la présence de Varroa destructor, de virus et de maladies concourantes comme la nosémose. La période la plus importante à prendre en compte, afin de minimiser le risque de mortalité hivernale, est le tout début de l'automne, période où des traitements acaricides efficaces doivent être appliqués. L'information et la formation des apiculteurs sont primordiales et doivent être mises en place le plus rapidement possible

Pesticide residues in beeswax samples collected from honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera L

Abstract: In 2002 a field survey was initiated in French apiaries in order to monitor the health of honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera L.). Studied apiaries were evenly distributed across five sites located in continental France. Beeswax samples were collected once a year over 2 years from a total of 125 honey bee colonies. Multiresidue analyses were performed on these samples in order to identify residues of 16 insecticides and acaricides and two fungicides. Residues of 14 of the searched-for compounds were found in samples. Tau-fluvalinate, coumaphos and endosulfan residues were the most frequently occurring residues (61.9, 52.2 and 23.4% of samples respectively). Coumaphos was found in the highest average quantities (792.6 µg kg −1 ). Residues of cypermethrin, lindane and deltamethrin were found in 21.9, 4.3 and 2.4% of samples respectively. Statistical tests showed no difference between years of sampling, with the exception of the frequency of pyrethroid residues. Beeswax contamination was the result of both in-hive acaricide treatments and, to a much lesser extent, environmental pollution

Risk indicators affecting honeybee colony survival in Europe: one year of surveillance

International audienceAbstractThe first pan-European harmonized active epidemiological surveillance program on honeybee colony mortality (EPILOBEE) was set up across 17 European Member States to estimate honeybee colony mortality over winter and during the beekeeping season. In nine Member States, overwinter losses were higher and statistically different from the empirical level of 10 % under which the level of overwinter mortality was considered as acceptable with usual beekeeping conditions. In four other countries, these losses were lower. Using multivariable Poisson regression models, it was showed that the size of the operation and apiary and the clinically detected varroosis, American foulbrood (AFB), and nosemosis before winter significantly affected 2012–2013 overwinter losses. Clinically detected diseases, the size of the operation and apiary, and the non-participation to a common veterinary treatment significantly affected 2013 summer losses. EPILOBEE was a prerequisite to implement future projects studying risk factors affecting colony health such as multiple and co-exposure to pesticides

Environmental risk assessment scheme for plant protection products - Chapter 10: Honeybees – Proposed scheme

contribution to session I Regulatory issue

Guidance for the assessment of risks to bees from the use of plant protection products applied as seed coating and soil applications – conclusions of the ICPBR dedicated working group

contribution to session IRegulatory issuesBackground: Soil or seed applied plant protection products (PPPs) aim at bringing the amount of active substance involved to the only parts of the plant that have to be protected. Despite a reduced exposure of non target organisms by this way, an exposure of honey bees through residues in pollen and/or nectar may not be excluded for substances that migrate towards the upper plant parts. Directive 91/414/EEC, related guidance documents and literature data were reviewed and discussed by a working group of the ICPBR (International Commission for Plant-Bee Relationships) with the aim to provide adequate guidance to proceed in a risk assessment in such cases.Results: The review and expert knowledge collected within ecotoxicology, entomology and plant residue area allowed to identify the key parameters that trigger a risk assessment as well as basic hypotheses to consider in deciding for the experimentations required (laboratory, semi-field and field tests). A stepwise, tiered approach is proposed, which has been checked for its ability to discriminate substances that may pose a risk to bees from substances of low concern. Conclusion: The present scheme is proposed to update the current EPPO risk assessment scheme with a special issue on systemic PPPs.Keywords: risk assessment, honey bees, soil or seed treatments, systemic

Development and validation of a real-time two-step RT-qPCR TaqMan (R) assay for quantitation of Sacbrood virus (SBV) and its application to a field survey of symptomatic honey bee colonies

Sacbrood virus (SBV) is the causal agent of a disease of honey bee larvae, resulting in failure to pupate and causing death. The typical clinical symptom of SBV is an accumulation of SBV-rich fluid in swollen subcuticular pouches, forming the characteristic fluid-filled sac that gives its name to the disease. Outbreaks of the disease have been reported in different countries, affecting the development of the brood and causing losses in honey bee colonies. Today, few data are available on the SBV viral load in the case of overt disease in larvae, or for the behavioural changes of SBV-infected adult bees. A two-step real-time RT-PCR assay, based on TaqMan (R) technology using a fluorescent probe (FAM-TAMRA) was therefore developed to quantify Sacbrood virus in larvae, pupae and adult bees from symptomatic apiaries. This assay was first validated according to the recent XP-U47-600 standard issued by the French Standards Institute, where the reliability and the repeatability of the results and the performance of the assay were confirmed. The performance of the qPCR assay was validated over the 6 log range of the standard curve (i.e. from 10(2) to 10(8) copies per well) with a measurement uncertainty evaluated at 0.11 log(10). The detection and quantitation limits were established respectively at 50 copies and 100 copies of SBV genome, for a template volume of 5 mu l of cDNA. The RT-qPCR assay was applied during a French SBV outbreak in 2012 where larvae with typical SBV signs were collected, along with individuals without clinical signs. The SBV quantitation revealed that, in symptomatic larvae, the virus load was significantly higher than in samples without clinical signs. Combining quantitation with clinical data, a threshold of SBV viral load related to an overt disease was proposed (10(10) SBV genome copies per individual)