Within the PoshBee Project, we have worked out precise protocols for testing the toxicological
endpoints and metabolisation rate of agrochemicals on and in bees. Three agrochemical classes
(insecticides, fungicides and herbicides) were tested on three bee groups (honey bees, bumble bees
and solitary mason bees). The specific protocols, different for each combination of the pesticide class
and bee group, were designed based on the existing toxicity testing methods and modified according
to the specificities of the different bee groups, their castes and the different exotoxicological features
of the compounds. Sulfoxaflor, Azoxystrobin, and Glyphosate were used respectively as examples of
the three pesticide classes. Apis mellifera, Bombus terrestris and Osmia bicornis were chosen as the
examples of the three bee groups.
The protocols for honey bees and bumble bees were designed based on the official existing guidelines
edited by OECD. Nevertheless, given that the OECD guidelines provide recommendations to fit with
most agrochemicals, many of the parameters are defined with low precision in order to be flexible
and adapt to different categories of molecules. While OECD has no guidelines for testing solitary bees,
we used information from the unpublished ring test protocols for Osmia bicornis by the ICPPR non-
Apis working group.Prepared under contract from the European Commission; Grant agreement No. 773921; EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation action.Prepared under contract from the European Commission; Grant agreement No. 773921; EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation action
