Validation of a method using queenless Bombus terrestris micro-colonies for testing the nutritive value of commercial pollen mixes by comparison with queenright colonies.

The nutritive value of pollen blends purchased by bumble bee producers from beekeepers is a key factor of successful mass rearing. We have already devised a method for quality ranking of pollen diets. It was a 1-mo bioassay using queenless micro-colonies of three callow workers (Bombus terrestris L.

Toxicity of dimethoate and fenoxycarb to honey bee brood (Apis mellifera), using a new in vitro standardized feeding method.

A new in vitro method was devised to assess the effects of pesticides on honey bee brood. The method allowed the quantification of doses ingested by larvae and the assessment of larval and pupal mortality. Larval mortality in control samples was lower than 10%.