Bees, impact assessment

In Tables 14.9 and 14.10, the last column reports the environmental impact points (EIPs) for typical applications of organic and conventional pesticides derived from the Pesticide Environmental Assessment System, or PEAS. This model produces relative rankings of risks based on defined use rates and use patterns (the formulation used to apply a pesticide, timing, target of the application, spray equipment used, etc). PEAS scores reflect an equal balancing of acute pesticide risks to farm workers, chronic risks via dietary exposure and exposures to birds, Daphnia and bees. 

After briefly outlining the different effects that chemical plant protection products can have on bees, we present the regulatory provisions that are currently applied in France to limit this impact. We then describe the European regulation to assess plant protection product risks on bees and the setting up of new procedures for market approval of chemical preparations in Europe. Finally, we mention the regulatory provisions applied in the United States. 

These tests aim to assess the impact of contaminated flowers or honeydew on foraging bees. They can be requested when particular effects (toxicity for larvae, long-term delayed effects, disorientation of bees) have been observed during field tests. In France, the CEB 129 method is used. 

Using proteins to assess the potential impacts of genetically modified plants on honey bees... 

Arpaia, S. (1996). Ecological impact of Bt-transgenic plants 1. Assessing possible effects of CrylllB toxin on honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies. J Genet. Breed. 50, 315-319. 

As in toxicity studies of chemical pesticides, the evaluation of the impact of gene products potentially expressed in GM plants can be based on a three-tiered approach where laboratory acute toxicity tests and observations under more natural conditions are combined. Although parallels can be drawn in the methodologies used in the study of the sublethal effects of chemical pesticides and the risk assessment of GM plants, the main difference relies on the fact that the evaluation of GM plant implies specifically the study of secondary changes in plant metabolites mediating their attractiveness for honey bees. 

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