Pan-european assessment, monitoring, and mitigation Of Stressors on the Health of BEEs

Project Information

PoshBee

Grant agreement ID: 773921

DOI

10.3030/773921

Project closed

EC signature date 27 April 2018

Start date 1 June 2018

End date 31 May 2023

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy

Total cost

€ 10 133 683,75

EU contribution

€ 8 999 998,75

Coordinated by

ROYAL HOLLOWAY AND BEDFORD NEW COLLEGE
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - PoshBee (Pan-european assessment, monitoring, and mitigation Of Stressors on the Health of BEEs)

Reporting period: 2022-06-01 to 2023-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Bees – honey bees, bumble bees, and solitary bees – provide pollination to plants, which enables many crops and wildflowers to produce fruit and set seed. Consequently, bees play an essential role in maintaining good nutrition in human populations, and healthy and sustainable plant communities, both of which support human well-being. However, in Europe, and around the globe, bees face many threats and are often in decline as a result. If declining bee populations leads to lower levels of pollination, this will negatively impact human well-being, and is therefore of significant societal importance. Understanding what factors are leading to bee declines, and developing approaches to reduce the impact of these factors, is essential if we are to reverse bee declines and maintain healthy populations of wild and managed bees. One factor that may reduce bee health is exposure to, and impacts of agrochemicals. PoshBee addressed the impact of agrochemicals on bee health. Our objectives to (i) assess the exposure hazard of bees in Europe, (ii) understand the toxicity and dynamics of key chemicals in bees, (iii) acquire an understanding of how agrochemicals and their interactions with nutrition and parasites impact bee health, (iv) develop models to help us assess and manage risks to bees, (v) produce tools that can be used to monitor bee health, and (vi) drive forward policy and practice in the EU to produce healthy bees and sustainable pollination have been fully met.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Using a 128 site pan-European network we have quantified how agrochemical exposure, nutrition, and pathogens drive managed bee health in these agricultural landscapes. We have developed new experimental protocols and completed a series of experiments to determine the impact of key agrochemicals, and their interactions with nutritional stress and pathogens on bee health, as well as how rapidly these chemicals degrade after bees are exposed to them. We have determined the extent to which two novel solitary bee species can be used for ecotoxicological work, and explored other solitary bees for the same purpose. We have developed a database to underpin definitions of bee health, produced landscape data to support realistic models for bee risk assessments, and created a software tool for landscape-based risk assessment models. We have developed a cheap, fast, and effective air sensor to measure agrochemical contamination in honey bee hives. Our Bee Health card, based on MALDI BeeTyping® and a comprehensive proteomic library, has been developed to TRL6. In order to bring our results to where they are needed, we have worked with beekeepers, farmers, NGOs, agrochemical companies, and policy makers to identify who needs to be informed of our work, and when and how to do this to maximise its impact on policy to support pollinators in Europe, and on the practice of beekeepers and farmers. Our social media platforms have enabled significant public engagement with our results.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Progress beyond state of the art (PBSA): exposure to chemicals
We have quantified the exposure of bees to chemicals across Europe in two major agricultural landscape types.

PBSA: effects of chemicals
We have demonstrated significant variation at the individual-level in effects across castes and species of bee, including previously unexamined wild bee species. Using semi-field and field experiments we have determined field-realistic effects of chemicals on bee health, and how and when these can be mitigated by nutrition. We have shown that current regulated agrochemical use significantly impacts bee health in real-world agricultural landscapes.

PBSA: chemical monitoring
We have developed MALDI BeeTyping® as a tool to monitor bee health to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6, as per expectations. This will provide a cheap and time-effective method to monitor bee health in the field. We have developed a cost-effective air sensor to measure agrochemicals in bee hives to TRL5, again as per expectations. We plan further development of these tools beyond PoshBee.

PBSA: nutritional monitoring
We have quantified nutritional inputs to bees across European agricultural landscapes.

PBSA: pathogen monitoring
We have quantified pathogen exposure to bees across European agricultural landscapes and developed validated methodologies for such monitoring.

PBSA: modelling for environmental risk assessment
We have developed software tools for risk assessment of environmental threats to bee health. We have developed a functional bumble bee model that will be incorporated into the MUST-B risk assessment framework

Impact: hazards
We have assessed the hazard of agrochemicals and their interactions, in combination with nutritional stress and parasites, for bees, and provided a database of results for use by EFSA, policy-makers, and other stakeholders.

Impact: new protocols to be incorporated in bee regulatory schemes
PoshBee has developed new protocols for both classic model systems and novel solitary bees. These can be used to enhance ecotoxicological testing and have been disseminated to the agrochemical industry and policy-makers in particular.

Impact: contribution of molecular approaches to monitoring plans for bee health.
PoshBee has developed a bee health card, based on MALDI BeeTyping®, which is based on an underlying proteomics database. This is at TRL6, as planned, and will become a key monitoring tool for beekeepers and bee health monitors, benefiting: local, national, and EU-level monitoring schemes; policy-makers; agrochemical industry; beekeepers; wider society.

Impact: contribute to sustainable pollination and sustainable beekeeping
We have published 16 EIP practice abstracts, to support research into sustainable pollination and beekeeping. Co-developed with our multi-actor partners, these abstracts will strengthen the broader framework for the sustainable management of bees, which will itself underpin sustainable pollination. Greater sustainability in beekeeping and pollination services will benefit: beekeepers and the managed pollinator industry; growers and suppliers; policy-makers; consumers; wider society.

Through our stakeholder group we have facilitated discussion amongst key stakeholders, including agrochemical companies, beekeepers, farmers, NGOs, and policymakers, to maintain and develop the framework for management of risks to bees going forward, delivering significant societal value.

Testing the nutritional effects of agrochemicals: nesting aids with nesting Osmia bicornis females

Delegates at final PoshBee AGM in Rome

Bottom-up proteomic workflow for haemolymph analysis

Summary slide of the PoshBee project

Semi-field flight cages with Bombus terrestris and Phacelia

Air sensor with nesting solitary bees Osmia bicornis to measure agrochemical contamination