Overview of Non‐<i>Apis</i>Bees

Vaughan, Mace; Vaissière, Bernard; Maynard, Glynn; Kasina, Muo; Nocelli, Roberta Cornélio Ferreira; Scott‐Dupree, Cynthia; Johansen, Erik; Brittain, Claire; Coulson, Mike; Dinter, Axel

doi:10.1002/9781118852408.ch3

“…However, because of their pronounced differences in physiology, life history traits, and behaviour, honey bees and bumble bees can differ in their susceptibility to pesticides (Thompson & Hunt, 1999; Devillers et al, 2003; Scott-Dupree, Conroy & Harris, 2009). Given this, and their importance as pollinators, there is increasing interest in incorporating data on bumble bees into risk assessments for pesticide registration (Vaughan et al, 2014). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of buckwheat, red clover, and purple tansy as potential surrogate plants for use in semi-field pesticide risk assessments withBombus impatiens

Gradish

¹

,

Cutler

²

,

Frewin

³

et al. 2016

PeerJ

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Background. Bumble bees (Bombus spp.) are important wild and managed pollinators. There is increased interest in incorporating data on bumble bees into risk assessments for pesticides, but standardized methods for assessing hazards of pesticides in semi-field and field settings have not yet been established for bumble bees. During semi-field studies, colonies are caged with pesticide-treated flowering surrogate plants, which must be attractive to foragers to ensure colony exposure to the test compound, and must produce an ample nectar and pollen to sustain colonies during testing. However, it is not known which plant(s) are suitable for use in semi-field studies with bumble bees.Materials and Methods. We compared B. impatiens foraging activity and colony development on small plots of flowering buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum, var. common), red clover (Trifolium pratense), and purple tansy (Phacelia tanacetifolia) under semi-field conditions to assess their suitability as surrogate plants for pesticide risk assessment studies with bumble bees. We also compared the growth characteristics and input requirements of each plant type.Results. All three plant types generally established and grew well. Red clover and purple tansy experienced significant weed pressure and/or insect pest damage. In contrast, pest pressure was extremely low in buckwheat. Overall, B. impatiens foraging activity was significantly greater on buckwheat plots than red clover or purple tansy, but plant type had no effect on number of individuals produced per colony or colony weight.Discussion. Because of the consistently high foraging activity and successful colony development observed on buckwheat plots, combined with its favourable growth characteristics and low maintenance requirements, we recommend buckwheat as a surrogate plant for use in semi-field pesticide toxicity assessments with B. impatiens.

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“…Bees are important pollinators in natural and agro-ecosystems (Smagghe & Calderone, 2012). Solitary bees, which comprise the majority of North American bee species (Michener, 2007), are equally or more effective than honey bees (Apis mellifera) at pollinating a variety of crops (Vaughn et al, 2014)) and uncultivated plants. Despite their importance, solitary bees are underrepresented in bee research (Vaughn et al, 2014;EFSA, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer Review #2 of "Contact toxicity of three insecticides for use in tier I pesticide risk assessments with Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) (v0.2)"

2021

0

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The current pesticide risk assessment paradigm may not adequately protect solitary bees as it focuses primarily on the honey bee (Apis mellifera). The alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata) is a potential surrogate species for use in pesticide risk assessment for solitary bees in North America. However, the toxicity of potential toxic reference standards to M. rotundata will need to be determined before pesticide risk assessment tests (tier I trials) can be implemented. Therefore, we assessed the acute topical toxicity and generated LD 50 values for three insecticides: dimethoate (62.08 ng a.i./bee), permethrin (50.01 ng a.i./bee), and imidacloprid (12.82 ng a.i/bee). The variation in the mass of individual bees had a significant but small effect on these toxicity estimates.Overall, the toxicity of these insecticides to M. rotundata were within the 10-fold safety factor currently used with A. mellifera toxicity estimates from tier I trials to estimate risk to other bee species. Therefore, tier I pesticide risk assessments with solitary bees may not be necessary, and efforts could be directed to developing more realistic, higher-tier pesticide risk assessment trials for solitary bees.

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“…International efforts are underway to develop pesticide risk assessment protocols that will include solitary bees and more accurately assess their routes of exposure and susceptibility to pesticides (EFSA, 2013;EPA, 2014;Fischer & Moriarty, 2014;OECD, 2017c;Sgolastra et al, 2018). As it is unfeasible to produce regulatory guidelines for every species of solitary bee, surrogate test species will need to be selected for different regions (Vaughn et al, 2014). The alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata Fabricius 1787) has been suggested as a potential surrogate for North American risk assessment for solitary bees, as its biology and behaviour are well understood, and individuals are commercially available in large quantities (Pitts-Singer & Cane, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer Review #1 of "Contact toxicity of three insecticides for use in tier I pesticide risk assessments with Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) (v0.1)"

Peterson¹

2021

0

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The current pesticide risk assessment paradigm may not adequately protect solitary bees as it focuses primarily on the honey bee (Apis mellifera). The alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata) is a potential surrogate species for use in pesticide risk assessment for solitary bees in North America. However, the toxicity of potential toxic reference standards to M. rotundata will need to be determined before pesticide risk assessment tests (tier I trials) can be implemented. Therefore, we assessed the acute topical toxicity and generated LD 50 values for three insecticides: dimethoate (62.08 ng a.i./bee), permethrin (50.01 ng a.i./bee), and imidacloprid (12.82 ng a.i/bee). The variation in the mass of individual bees had a significant but small effect on these toxicity estimates.Overall, the toxicity of these insecticides to M. rotundata were within the 10-fold safety factor currently used with A. mellifera toxicity estimates from tier I trials to estimate risk to other bee species. Therefore, tier I pesticide risk assessments with solitary bees may not be necessary, and efforts could be directed to developing more realistic, higher-tier pesticide risk assessment trials for solitary bees.

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Overview of Non‐ApisBees

Cited by 10 publications

References 70 publications

Comparison of buckwheat, red clover, and purple tansy as potential surrogate plants for use in semi-field pesticide risk assessments withBombus impatiens

Comparison of buckwheat, red clover, and purple tansy as potential surrogate plants for use in semi-field pesticide risk assessments withBombus impatiens

Peer Review #2 of "Contact toxicity of three insecticides for use in tier I pesticide risk assessments with Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) (v0.2)"

Peer Review #1 of "Contact toxicity of three insecticides for use in tier I pesticide risk assessments with Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) (v0.1)"

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