Honey Bee Chronic Feeding Test

Honey bee (Apis mellifera L.), chronic oral toxicity test; a 10 day feeding test in the laboratory....

Recent developments in the risk assessment of plant protection products (PPPs) on honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) require the evaluation of potential effects of a chronic oral exposure on adult honey bees (e.g. EC Regulation 1107/2009, EFSA Guidance Document 2014).

To reach this goal a chronic toxicity test i.e. a continuous exposure of adult honey bees to food treated with PPPs was developed and ring tested.

Eurofins Agroscience terrestrial ecotoxicology lab department in Niefern, Germany played a leading role in the organization and conduct of these national and international ring tests in 2013 and 2014, respectively. A guideline proposal was prepared by the ring test group and was submitted to the OECD together with the ring test report. To progress the development of the guideline and to discuss the results of the ring test, an OECD expert meeting will be held in Paris, France in April 2015.

At Eurofins, adult honey bee chronic toxicity studies have been conducted under GLP since 2005. Since 2013 the studies have been conducted based on the experiences and recent recommendations of the ring test group and follow the guideline proposal.

Newly hatched adult worker bees are continuously exposed to treated food over a period of 10 days. The main endpoints are the cumulative mortality, the food consumption and behaviour, LC₅₀, LDD₅₀, NOEC and NOEDD are determined statistically.

For further Details please contact Annette Kling or Emmanuelle Vergé