Interaction between pesticides and other factors in effects on bees

The present document has been produced and adopted by the bodies identified above as author.This task has been carried out exclusively by the author in the context of a contract between the European Food Safety Authority and the author awarded following a tender procedure.The present document is published complying with the transparency principle to which the Authority is subject.It may not be considered as an output adopted by the Authority.The European food Safety Authority reserves its rights, view and position as regards the issues addressed and the conclusions reached in the present document, without prejudice to the rights of the authors. SUMMARY1. Honeybees are important pollinators of both managed crops and wild flora.Changes in the use of agricultural land are thought to play a major role in reported pollinator declines, e.g. the nutritional value of pollen affects the physiology of developing bees.However, parasites and diseases are likely to produce significant additional pressures on the remaining populations.This review considered state-of-the-knowledge through search of information from scientific literature, study reports and other documents.To provide an overview of the interactions between pesticides and other factors in effects on bees considering:• The importance of the different exposure routes in relation to the overall exposure of bees to pesticides.• Multiple exposure to pesticides (including substances used in bee medication) and potential additive and cumulative effects.• Interactions between diseases and susceptibility of bees to pesticides.2. The database searches, after clearly unrelated references and duplicate references were removed, yielded• 148 references containing data directly relevant to routes of exposure in bees• 103 references for mixtures of which 84 were specific to honeybees, and 19 related to other insects• 112 references for pesticide interactions with disease of which 71 were specific to honeybees, 7 to bumble bees and 34 other insects.