Eurofins Agroscience Services offers solitary bee and bumble bee studies following tailor made designs adapted to specific crops and requirements

All studies are planned and performed by a highly experienced team of scientists and technical personnel. The solitary bee studies are performed with red mason bees (Osmia bicornis L.) under semi-field and field conditions. Bumble bee studies with Bombus terrestris L. can be conducted as semi-field studies, as field studies but also under greenhouse conditions in Spain and Italy/Sicily

Semi-field Studies with Solitary Bees

The crop area covered by each tunnel tent is approximately 60 m² with at least one nesting unit placed in each tunnel. In such studies, the solitary bee exposure to a treated crop is checked under comparable conditions for the different treatment groups within one test. The crop used is a bee attractive crop such as Phacelia or oil seed rape. The endpoints bee flight activity, nest occupation, cell production and cocoon production are assessed. After overwintering of the cocoons, emergence success and vigour of offspring can be examined.

Field Studies with Solitary Bees

In each field, four to twelve nesting units containing 100 cavities each are set-up for further assessment. The crop used is either a bee attractive crop such as Phacelia, oil seed rape or the relevant crop. The endpoints bee flight activity, foraging activity, nest occupation, cell production and cocoon production are assessed. The emergence success and vigour of produced offspring can be examined.

Portfolio Solitary Bee Studies

  • Semi-field studies and field studies
  • Different crops
  • Pollen source identification
  • Protein content determination in pollen
  • Residue analysis of solitary bee pollen mass

Special Skills

  • Dust application (semi-field and field studies)
  • Studies from seeding to flowering (dust, guttation, flowering)
  • Residue studies with different crops (e.g. oilseed rape, maize, apple) under semi-field and field conditions.
  • Samples from the nesting cavities (pollen mass) as well as samples from the crop can be taken (nectar and pollen from single flowers)

Industry partnerships

  • LAVES Institut für Bienenkunde, Celle
  • Länderinstitut für Bienenkunde, Hohen-Neuendorf
  • Long-term cooperation with local farmers
  • Participations, Memberships; Contacts (e.g. AG Bienenschutz, ICPPR)