The plans for WildPosh in 2025 involve the selection of sites throughout Europe, with a focus on semi-natural habitats adjacent to agricultural crops such as oilseed rape and wheat. Their site network includes ten sites in each of their four focal countries: Estonia, Germany, the UK, and Spain. At each site, samples will be collected from different environmental matrices, including nectar, pollen, leaves, soil, and water, using innovative methodologies such as an electronic pollen vacuum and a field centrifuge for nectar. In addition to collecting samples, the plants and pollinators will be surveyed.
Through collaboration with local farmers, data will be gathered on farming practices, including the use of plant protection products. Currently, WildPosh is preparing for the first of two sampling rounds, which are expected to begin at the peak of oilseed rape flowering. In the UK, this is anticipated to occur around mid-April, though it is, of course, weather-dependent. The second sampling round will take place later in the summer, after the flowering has ended.
WildPosh is a multi-actor, transdisciplinary project whose overarching mission and ambition are to significantly improve the evaluation of the risk to wild pollinators of pesticide exposure, and enhance the sustainable health of pollinators and pollination services in Europe.
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