Honey & Bumble Bee Field

Eurofins Agroscience Services offers a wide range of honey and bumble bee studies following standard or special designs

All studies are planned and performed by an experienced team of scientists and technical personnel. The bee studies (Apis mellifera L., Bombus terrestris) are conducted according to current OEPP/EPPO, CEB and OECD guidelines under semi-field and field conditions in settings throughout Europe (e. g. Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Denmark and Greece) as well as in China and USA. Examples for special study designs are long-term studies with over-wintering, studies in the relevant crop (e. g. sunflower, citrus, melon, maize, nectarine, peach, apple) where the product is used and residue studies with bees.
Semi-field Studies Semi-field studies are also called tunnel tests. The crop area covered by each tunnel tent is at least 50 m² and there is one bee hive placed in each tunnel. In such studies, the honeybee exposure to a treated crop is checked under comparable conditions for the different treatment groups within one test. The crop used is either an attractive crop or the relevant crop. As a minimum requirement, bee flight, bee mortality and the condition of the colonies is assessed. Standard studies according to OEPP/EPPO Guideline No. 170 FOTO 3 Standard studies according to CEB draft Guideline No. 230 Brood test according to OECD guidance document number 75
Field Studies According to the recent OEPP/EPPO Guideline, we use an area of at least 1 ha for our field studies. At each location, 4 to 6 commercial bee hives are set-up for further assessments on bee mortality, flight intensity in the crop, behaviour of the bees in front of the hives and in the crop area. Furthermore the condition of the colonies as well as the brood development is recorded over at least one month after treatment. Standard studies according to OEPP/EPPO Guideline No. 170 Brood feeding test in accordance with the OEPP/EPPO Bulletin No. 22 (1992 a+b) and with partly integration of the OECD guidance document number 75
Special Skills Dust application (semi-field and field) according to the OEPP/EPPO Guideline No. 170 Honey bee studies from seeding to flowering (dust, guttation, flowering), including long-term examination on the bee colonies Residue studies with different crops (e.g. oilseed rape, maize, melon, apple, peach, citrus) under semi-field and field conditions. Samples from a beehive (e.g. nectar, honey, pollen and wax) as well as forager bees collected in front of the hives and samples from the crop can be taken (nectar and pollen from single flowers via capilliary) Bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) studies are carried out under greenhouse conditions in Spain or Italy

For more information on our honey and bumble bee studies, please download the following PDF's:

	Honey and bumble bee semi-field and field
	Honey and bumble bee semi-field tests
	Honey bee field test
	Honey bee residue studies