Monitoring effects of pesticides on pollinators - a review of methods and outcomes by the ICPPR working group

Abstract

Background: Monitoring studies, in the context of Regulation (EC) 1107/2009, are recommended as a complement to the risk assessment. They are used to verify the conditions of exposure and of occurrence of risks in the field, as well as the efficacy of risk mitigation measures. No guidance is currently available for performing monitoring studies at the EU level, for honey bees or other pollinating insects. An inventory was thus undertaken in order to examine current methodologies and propose recommendations for the implementation and use of such studies in risk assessment and decision making.
Results: The inventory gathered 58 references, 41% on honey bees and 59% on wild bees. Monitoring studies in honey bees measure mortality, together with the occurrence of diseases, health status, and in some studies pollination. For wild bees, studies usually examine bee presence in relation to habitat, habitat changes or the influence of farmland.
Conclusion: This analysis indicates the need to shape monitoring studies on the basis of all the factors that influence the composition of bee communities within a landscape, including land use, floral diversity and agricultural practices. A first set of the critical traits for further monitoring studies is proposed for the two groups of pollinators.

Keywords: pesticides, monitoring, honey bee, bumblebees, solitary bees, Regulation (EC) 1107/2009