To better understand the effects of pesticide exposure on wild pollinators, the WildPosh project has developed a Field Monitoring Protocol, a key tool for studying how pollinators are exposed to pesticide residues in their environment.  

About the Field Monitoring Protocol  

This protocol serves as a guideline for selecting monitoring sites, collecting and handling data, conducting plant and pollinator surveys, collecting samples, and carrying out grower surveys. It allows scientists to track pesticide residues in different environmental elements - such as nectar, pollen, soil, and water. 

How does it work?  

The protocol includes:  

• Site selection - Identifying and choosing locations that are most suitable for the study. The sites are grassland areas with abundant flowering plants, situated next to conventionally farmed agricultural crops of wheat and oilseed rape.

• Data collection & management - Using standardised methods to ensure accuracy and consistency in recording field data. 

• Plant & pollinator surveys - Identifying and recording the pollinators and the plants they rely on.  

• Sample collection - An important part of the protocol is defining the sample collection methodology. Environmental samples (e.g., nectar, pollen, soil, water) are gathered for pesticide residue analysis.  

• Setting up bumble bee colonies - The main purpose of these colonies is to gather pollen from a wider area around each site.

• Grower surveys - Collecting information on farming practices in the crops next to the WildPosh field site. 

Why does this matter?  

WildPosh will use the collected data to supplement the project’s work in informing conservation efforts and influencing policy decisions.