A standardised guideline to determine chronic toxicity of pesticides for bumble bees is of significant importance for evaluating the side effects of pesticides and other chemicals on pollinating insects, a requirement in various regulatory frameworks across the OECD. This protocol is designed to evaluate effects of a test chemical via oral exposure.
First commenting round on the draft new Test Guideline describing the Bumble bee (Bombus spp.), Chronic Oral Toxicity Test (10-Day Feeding)
- Submission period
- 19 Dec 2025 - 13 Feb 2026
Background public consultation
Dictionary project description
This draft new Test Guideline (TG) describes a chronic oral toxicity test on adult worker bumble bees under laboratory conditions over an exposure period of 10 days. The test is based on the OECD TG 245 - honey bee 10-day chronic oral test and OECD TG 247 - bumble bee acute oral toxicity test. The test was validated by the ICPPR (International Commission for Plant Pollinator Relationships) ring-test group in 2017 with the buff-tailed bumble bee, Bombus terrestris, and in 2018 with B. terrestris and the common eastern bumble bee, B. impatiens. The dedicated Expert Group reviewed the initial draft new TG and draft validation report prior to this first review by the Working Party of National Coordinators of the Test Guidelines Programme.
How to contribute
The draft new Test Guideline is currently under a commenting round by the Working Party of the National Coordinators of the Test Guidelines Programme and open for comments from the public at the same time. Interested parties are invited to contact their National Coordinators at least a week before 13 February 2026.
