*3.1. Pesticide and Metabolites Residues*

The analytical results showed a 26% positive to at least one active substance honey samples. In these samples, 19 active substances were detected in total, while the most common combination comprised coumaphos (an organophosphorus insecticide and acaricide approved as a veterinary medicinal product [27]), imidacloprid, and DMF (a metabolite of the acaricidal active substance amitraz approved only for veterinary use [27]) (Table 1 and Figure 2). In pollen and beebread, a higher number of active substances were identified (32), accompanied by a superior number of determinations (including a higher number of fungicides detected compared to honey) and an advanced proportion of positive samples (65%) (Table 2 and Figure 3). The latter designates that pollen constitutes a better environmental marker compared to honey, which is reasonable since pollen and nectar are the primary nutrition sources for bees, unsheltered from a plethora of organic and inorganic pollutants [15,16,28].


**Table 1.** Active substances, determinations, and concentration ranges in honey samples.

\* Amitraz metabolite, MRL, applies only for its use as veterinary substance; \*\* β-cyfluthrin was approved, a: in bold, MRL exceedance, for coumaphos it applies after summation with the highest concentration of its metabolite coumaphos oxon.

**Figure 2.** Graph showing determinations of active substances in honey (imidacloprid olefin is a metabolite of imidacloprid).


**Table 2.** Active substances, determinations, and concentration ranges in pollen beebread samples#.
