Although EPA has had a tiered process consisting of laboratory- and field-based test guidelines for examining the hazard of pesticides to individual honey bees (Apis mellifera) and their colonies since 1996, the formation of the Office of Pesticide Programs’ Pollinator Team in 2007 focused efforts to advance EPA’s understanding of the science on assessing risk to bees. EPA science staff have a participated in multiple international workshops to enhance risk assessment methods/tools. In 2011, EPA issued interim guidance on studies to evaluate the potential for adverse effects to bees from exposure to pesticides and in 2014, working in collaboration with Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, EPA finalized a harmonized guidance describing a tiered process for assessing the likelihood of adverse effects on bees from exposure to conventional pesticides. In 2016, EPA issued additional guidance for risk assessors on requesting various exposure and effects studies and a separate guidance for risk managers on implementing the data requirements to support the registration or re-registration of conventional pesticides. EPA is in the process of rulemaking to codify the suite of laboratory- and field based studies that inform the tiered risk assessment process. EPA is continuing to work with its international regulatory counterparts to further harmonize testing and assessment methods and to determine the extent to which existing tests are protective for bees other than honey bees, i.e., non-Apis bees. These efforts underscore EPA’s commitment to ensuring that the best available science is used as a foundation for regulatory decision-making.

Development of tiered testing guidelines for pollinator protection

254th National Meeting (2017)

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