Pollinator studies

SynTech Research’s Bee Health Unit team provides complete pollinator study programs, from protocol design through implementation including sample analysis, QA and submission of final reports.

Programs are delivered by 40 pollinator staff throughout Europe, the USA and Latin America. These include 10 Study Directors, 15 Principal Investigators and 15 Laboratory/Field Scientists, and research agreements with internationally-recognized bee health experts and beekeepers.

SynTech Research’s main pollinator laboratories are located in Mâcon, France; Stilwell, USA; Valencia, Spain; and Piracicaba, Brazil; offering higher tier semi-field and field studies from SynTech’s field stations and satellite sites in Europe, USA and Latin America.

The full pollinator testing package includes acute and chronic laboratory tests, semi-field and field studies on adult and larvae of honey bees, bumble bees and solitary bees:

Test species

  • Honey bees (Apis mellifera mellifera, A.m. ligustica, A.m. carnica)
  • Bumble bees (Bombus terrestris, B. impatiens)
  • Mason bees (Osmia bicornis, O. cornuta, O. lignaria)
  • Leafcutter bees (Megachile rotundata)
  • Brazil stingless bees

Laboratory tests

Acute effects

  • Honey bee adult oral and contact acute tests (OECD 213, 214, OCSPP 850.3020, OPPTS 885.4000)
  • Honey bee 7-day larval acute test (OECD 237, OPPTS 885.4000)
  • Honey bee acute toxicity of residues on foliage (OCSPP 850.3030, OPPTS 885.4000)
  • Bumble bee oral and contact acute tests (OECD 246, 247, OPPTS 885.4000)
  • Solitary bee oral and contact acute tests (ICPPR/OECD Ring Test, 2016, 2017, OECD 254, OPPTS 885.4000)

Chronic effects

  • Honey bee 10-day adult chronic test (OECD 245, OPPTS 885.4000)
  • Honey bee 8-day larval chronic test (OECD GD 239 modified, OPPTS 885.4000)
  • Honey bee 22-day larval chronic test (OECD GD 239, Univ. Florida, OPPTS 885.4000)

Higher tier studies

Residue (exposure) studies

  • Tunnel (bee collection) or open field conditions (hand collection)
  • Pollen and nectar hand collection experience with more than 40 crops
  • Sampling from the hive and from the foragers (pollen load, stomach preparation and nectar extraction)


Side effect studies

  • Semi-field and field studies on arable crops and orchards
  • Brood studies in tunnel or open field conditions (OECD 75, EPPO 170, EFSA 2023)
  • Feeding studies (Oomen, 1992, Lückmann J. & Schmitzer S., (2014), EFSA 2023)
  • Guttation studies
  • Geographic Information System analysis for land use/land cover, pesticide use
  • Effects of seed treatment dust

For further information please email: info@syntechresearch.com

Contact

News

Visit our blog
Visit our blog