Experimental designs for field and semi-field studies with solitary wild bees

The newly proposed EFSA risk assessment of plant protection products for pollinators includes for the first time not only honey bees but also non-Apis pollinators (OEPP/EPPO 2010, EFSA 2013). No official guidelines for standardized tests exist so far. We performed field and semi-field studies to evaluate suitable test designs and handling procedures for the test organisms. The objective of these studies was the development of a test system for trials under field- and semi-field conditions with the red mason bee Osmia bicornis L. (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae).
The trials were conducted in two different crops, winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus) and Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia), with different nesting materials, test designs and release techniques.