Honeybee Acute Oral Toxicity Test (OECD TG 213)
The Honeybee Acute Oral Toxicity Test according to OECD TG 213 is designed to evaluate the short-term toxic effects of chemicals on adult honeybees (Apis mellifera) via oral exposure. This test provides essential data for assessing risks to pollinators, which are crucial for ecosystem health and agricultural productivity.
In this study, adult worker bees are individually or group-exposed to a range of concentrations of the test substance incorporated into a sucrose solution under controlled laboratory conditions. Observations are made over a 48-hour period to monitor mortality and behavioral changes, such as feeding activity or abnormal movement.
The primary endpoint is mortality, which is used to determine the median lethal dose (LD₅₀) or concentration (LC₅₀) causing death in 50% of the test bees. Sublethal effects may also be recorded as supportive information.
This test is a key component of pollinator risk assessment, helping to evaluate the potential hazards of plant protection products and other chemicals to honeybee populations.
