Dr. Dimitry Wintermantel

I am an environmental scientist, working at the interface of insect pollinator ecology and environmental risk assessment. My research focuses on how pesticides affect bees and other insect pollinators and the pollination services they deliver. In laboratory, semi-field and field experiments, I investigate how pesticides interact with each other or with other stressors such as resource limitations, parasites, and microbial pathogens.

I am particularly interested in identifying strategies to mitigate risks for pollinators and support both wild and managed species in agricultural landscapes. Therefore, I have contributed to large collaborative projects aimed at assessing and mitigating agrochemical stress and restoring pollinator habitats across European agricultural landscapes:

• PoshBee – Pan-European assessment, monitoring, and mitigation of stressors on the health of bees
• WildPosh – Pan-European assessment, monitoring and mitigation of chemical stressors on the health of wild pollinators (ongoing)
• RestPoll – Restoring pollinator habitats across European agricultural landscapes based on multi-actor participatory approaches (ongoing)

Furthermore, I am engaged in advancing environmental risk assessment through protocol development, simulation-based guidance on statistical analyses and propositions for regulatory reform of risk assessment processes.

Summer semester:

• B.Sc. module (4331/5331) Kartierung von Lebensräumen und Schutzgütern
• M.Sc. module (42140) Freilandökologie / (42260) Field Ecology

Winter semester:

• B.Sc. module (4334/5334) Nachhaltige Landnutzung / B.Sc. module (4334/5334) Nachhaltige Landwirtschaft – Gestalten und Bewerten.
• M.Sc. module (51120) Nachhaltige Landnutzung und Naturschutz

• Wintermantel, D., Kassie, D., Hendricks-Franco, L., Knapp, J., Jahnke, A., Breeze, T. D., Brown, M. J. F., Brühl, C. A., Dewaele, J., Fievet, M., Focks, A., Gekière, A., Goulson, D., Hagedorn, G., Huelsduenker, T., Ituarte-Lima, C., Klein, A.M., Kling, A., de Miranda, J. R., Michez, D., Ozoh, P. N., Paxton, R. J., Pe’er, G., Potts, S. G., Riedel, A., Rouillard, J., Rundlöf, M., Schäfer, R. B., Schäffer, A., Sgolastra, F., Slunge, D., Topping, C. J., Tosi, S., Vanbergen, A. J. & Osterman, J. (2026): EU Omnibus proposal increases pesticide risks. Science, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aeg8744
• Gekière, A., Tourbez, C., Vanderplanck, M., Kiljanek, T., Ghisbain, G., Kardas, E., Bottero, I., Chauzat, MP, Cini, E., Corvucci, F., de Miranda, J.R., Di Prisco, G., Dominik, C., Grillenzoni, F.V., Hodge, S., Knauer, A., Laurent, M., Martínez-López, V., Raimets, R., Schwarz, J.M., Senapathi, D., Serra, G., Tamburini, G., Wintermantel, D., Brown, M.J.F., Albrecht, M., Costa, C., De la Rúa, P., Klein, A.M., Mänd, M., Potts, S.G., Rundlöf, M., Schweiger, O., Stout, J.C. & Michez, D. (2026): Nutritional composition of pollen stores in managed bees across European agro-ecosystems reveals species-specific differences but limited pesticide effects. Ecological Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1111/een.70096
• Klein, A.M., Adamsone-Fiskovica, A., Alins, G., Angelstam, P., Belveze, A., Bosch, J., Breeze, T., Comont, R.F., de Groot, E., Dicks, L., Dominguez, A.R., Dudás, G., Fabricius Kristiansen, L., Fedoriak, M., Gallai, N., Garratt, M., Grivins, M., Grozinger, C., Jenner, N., Kleftodimos, G., Kleijn, D., Kovács-Hostyánszki, A., Krauss, B., Leonhardt, S.D., Osterman, J., Ouin, A., Plowman, A., Potts, S.G., Rasmussen, C., Roquer-Beni, L., Rossi, D., Rundlöf, M., Schweiger, O., Smith, H.G., Stout, J.C., Sutter, L., Thorsøe, M., Vlontzos, G., Wintermantel, D., Kranke, N. & Thompson, A. (2025): RestPoll: Restoring Pollinator habitats across European agricultural landscapes based on multi-actor participatory approaches. Research Ideas and Outcomes 11: e181727. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.11.e181727
• Tourbez, C., Gekière, A., Bottero, I., Chauzat, M.P., Cini, E., Corvucci, F., de Miranda, J.R.,  Di Prisco, G., Dominik, C., Grillenzoni, F.V., Hodge, S., Kiljanek, T., Knauer, A., Laurent, M., Martínez-López, V., Raimets, R., Schwarz, J.M., Senapathi, D., Serra, G., Tamburini, G., Wintermantel, D., Brown, M.J.F., Albrecht, M., Costa, C., De la Rúa, P., Klein, A.M., Mänd, M., Potts, S.G., Rundlöf, M., Schweiger, O., Stout, J.C. & Michez, D. (2025): Variation in the pollen diet of managed bee species across European agroecosystems. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 383: 109518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2025.109518
• Babin, A., Schurr, F., Delannoy, S., […] Wintermantel, D., […] Klein, A.M., […] Pereira-Peixoto, H.M., […] Tamburini, G. et al. & Dubois, E. (2024): Distribution of infectious and parasitic agents among three sentinel bee species across European agricultural landscapes. Scientific Reports 14: 3524. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53357-w
• Brown, M., Albrecht, M., De la Rúa, P., Hellström, S., Klein, A.M, Michez, D., Nazzi, F., Paxton, R., Straw, E., Wintermantel, D. & Potts. S. (2023): The impacts of multiple stressors on managed bees: Novel insights from the PoshBee project. ARPHA Preprints. online first. https://doi.org/10.3897/arphapreprints.e115172
• Willcox, B.K., Potts, S.G., Brown, M.J.F., […] Osterman, J., […] Wintermantel, D. et al. & Senapathi, D. (2023): Emerging threats and opportunities to managed bee species in European agricultural systems: a horizon scan. Scientific Reports 13: 18099. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45279-w
• Allan, M.J., Dean, R., Klein, A.M., Wintermantel, D., Albrecht, M., Schwarz, J. & Knauer, A. (2023): Milestone 15 Protocols for semi-field and field experiments. ARPHA preprints. online first. https://doi.org/10.3897/arphapreprints.e101323
• Knauer, A., Alaux, C., Matthew, A., Dean, R., Dievart, V., Glauser, G., Kiljanek, T., Michez, D., Schwarz, J., Tamburini, G., Wintermantel, D., Klein, A.M. & Albrecht, M. (2022): Nutritional stress exacerbates impact of a novel insecticide on solitary bees’ behaviour, reproduction and survival.  Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 289: 20221013. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.1013
• Hodge, S., Schweiger, O., Klein, A.M., Potts, S.G., Costa, C., Albrecht, M., de Miranda, J.R., Mand, M., De la Rúa, P., Rundlöf, M., Attridge, E., Dean, R., Bulet, P., Michez, D., Paxton, R.J., Babin, A., Cougoule, N., Laurent, M., Martel, A.C., Paris, L., Rivière, M.P., Dubois, E., Chauzat, M.P., Arafah, K., Askri, D., Voisin, S.N., Kiljanek, T., Bottero, I., Dominik, C., Tamburini, G., Pereira-Peixoto, M.H., Wintermantel, D., Breeze, T.D., Cini, E., Senapathi, D., Di Prisco, G., Medrzycki, P., Hagenbucher, S., Knauer, A., Schwarz, J.M., Raimets, R., Martínez-López, V., Ivarsson, K., Hartfield, C., Hunter, P., Brown, M.J.F. & Stout, J.C. (2022): Design and planning of a transdisciplinary investigation into farmland pollinators: Rationale, co-design, and lessons learned. Sustainability 14: 10549.
• Osterman, J., Wintermantel, D. & Klein, A.M. (2022): Welche Produkte Bienen gefährden. BWagrar. 32: 16–17.
• Osterman, J., Wintermantel, D. & Klein, A.M. (2022): Verbot von Sulfoxaflor – Der Nachfolger von Neonikotinoiden ist auch gefährlich. bienen&natur 8: 34–36.
• Schwarz, J.M., Knauer, A.C., Allan, M.J., Dean, R.R., Ghazoul, J., Tamburini, G., Wintermantel, D., Klein, A.M. & Albrecht, M. (2022): No evidence for impaired solitary bee fitness following pre-flowering sulfoxaflor application alone or in combination with a common fungicide in a semi-field experiment. Environment International 164: 107252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2022.107252
• Wintermantel, D., Pereira-Peixoto, M.H., Warth, N., Melcher, K., Faller, M., Feurer, J., Allan, M.J., Dean, R., Tamburini, G., Knauer, A.C., Schwarz, J.M., Albrecht, M. & Klein, A.M. (2022): Flowering resources modulate the sensitivity of bumblebees to a common fungicide. Science of The Total Environment 829: 154450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154450
• Klein, A.M, von Königslöw, V., Mupepele, A., Fornoff, F. & Wintermantel, D. (2022): Blühstreifen, Hecken und Spontanvegetation: Wie können wir Wildbienen im Obstanbau gezielt fördern? In: Eben, A. & Herz, A. (eds.) Online – Fachgespräch zum Thema „Biodiversität im Obstbau“. Journal für Kulturpflanzen 74: 11–18.
• Tamburini, G., Pereira-Peixoto, M.H., Borth, J., Lotz, S., Wintermantel, D., Allan, M.J., Dean, R., Schwarz J.M., Knauer, A., Albrecht, M. & Klein, A.M. (2021): Fungicide and insecticide exposure adversely impacts bumblebees and pollination services under semi-field conditions. Environment International 157: 106813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2021.106813
• Tamburini*, G., Wintermantel*, D., Allan, M.J., Dean, R.R., Knauer, A., Albrecht, M. & Klein, A.M. (2021): Sulfoxaflor insecticide and azoxystrobin fungicide have no major impact on honeybees in a realistic-exposure semi-field experiment. Science of the Total Environment 778: 146084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146084 (* These authors contributed equally to the study)
• Wintermantel, D., Odoux, J.F., Decourtye, A., Henry, M., Allier, F., & Bretagnolle, V. (2020): Neonicotinoid-induced mortality risk for bees foraging on oilseed rape nectar persists despite EU moratorium. Science of the Total Environment 704: 135400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135400
• Wintermantel, D., Odoux, J.-F., Chadœuf, J. & Bretagnolle, V. (2019): Organic farming positively affects honeybee colonies in a flower-poor period in agricultural landscapes. Journal of Applied Ecology 56: 1960–1969. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13447
• Osterman*, J., Wintermantel*, D., Locke, B., Jonsson, O., Semberg, E., Onorati, P., Forsgren, E., Rosenkranz, P., Rahbek-Pedersen, T., Bommarco, R., Smith, H.G., Rundlöf, M. & de Miranda, J.R. (2019): Clothianidin seed-treatment has no detectable negative impact on honeybee colonies and their pathogens. Nature Communications 10: 692. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08523-4 (* These authors contributed equally to the study)
• Kawakami, T., Wallberg, A., Olsson, A., Wintermantel, D., De Miranda, J.R., Allsopp, M., Rundlöf, M. & Webster, M.T. (2019): Substantial heritable variation in recombination rate on multiple scales in honeybees and bumblebees. Genetics 212: 1101–1119. https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.119.302008
• Wintermantel, D., Locke, B., Andersson, G.K.S., Semberg, E., Forsgren, E., Osterman, J., Rahbek Pedersen, T., Bommarco, R., Smith, H.G., Rundlöf, M. & de Miranda, J.R. (2018): Field-level clothianidin exposure affects bumblebees but generally not their pathogens. Nature Communications 9: 5446. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07914-3

• Interview for the podcast Garten-Update: “Dauerzulassung von Pestiziden stoppen”, 11.06.2026, https://www.podcast.de/episode/703998895/sonderfolge-dauerzulassung-von-pestiziden-stoppen
• Interview for the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung: “Bürokratieabbau auf Kosten der Gesundheit?”, 02.06.2026, https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/eu-pestizidregulierung-gesundheit-umwelt-gefahr-li.3491993