Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris L.) versus honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) acute sensitivity – Final results of a CropLife Europe data evaluation

A data evaluation was conducted to compare the acute sensitivity of the bumblebee Bombus terrestris L. with that of the honey bee Apis mellifera L. to plant protection products. For the evaluation 97 data sets were available for oral toxicity and 108 data sets for contact toxicity. For data sets with unbound honey bee LD50 values the data indicated similar or lower sensitivity of bumblebees versus honey bees by contact or oral exposure for all fungicides and herbicides. Likewise, similar or lower contact sensitivity of bumblebees than honey bees was found for all insecticides with definite honey bee endpoints. For oral exposure, this was also the case except for 5 active substances. Overall, the data supports for a wide range of chemistry that the honey bee is a sensitive surrogate test species for bumblebees. Therefore, routine application of a standard safety factor on honey bee endpoints in context of plant protection product risk assessment to cover bumblebee sensitivity is not justified. At present, honey bees seem to be an appropriate surrogate species to cover acute bumblebee sensitivity.