MEDIBEES

If we want to know about the temperature range different #subspecies of honey bees in the #Mediterranean, this is something that can't be done immediately at the colony. You wouldn't know if what you see is the effect of temperature or another factor we may not even know about. That's why #labexperiments are so important. Here, you can control the environment and look exactly at the factors you want to study. For the temperature range, the colleagues in #Spain, #Italy, and #Jordan took workers and drones into the lab to put them in cages and into the incubator they go. That's where got those temperature ranges for #iberiensis, #ligustica, and #syriaca from (check out last Monday, if you missed it).

Every living being has preferences for the temperature range it lives in. In #MEDIBEES, we're studying these ranges for the mediterranean honey bee #subspecies. You see the concept behind this work in the picture: There's an area in which a bee colony "feels well" (homoeotherm). This includes the total confort zone and the range in which it may be a bit too chilly or warm. But within this range, the colonies manage to regulate the temperature. Then, there's an area that goes beyond just cold or heat stress. It's when the bees get lethargic, either because of cold (hypothermia) or heat (hyperthermia). This is an allarming situation, the colonies aren't able to regulate this properly. Finally, there's the "red line" which, if crossed, means the death of the colony. In our experiments, we've seen that these red lines are very different for the subspecies we're looking at. This gives us the foundation to give specific recommendations for the mitigation of #climatechange for the different regions of the #Mediterranean.

The (extended) Mediterranean is a region with warm and dry summers and usually rainy and cool but mild winters. However, the the conditions aren't the same all over the region. If we compare the conditions for the European #subspecies 𝘈𝘱𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘢 #𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 in central Spain, #𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢 in northern Italy, or #𝘴𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘢 in Jordan, they're quite different. In central Spain, we have drier and warmer conditions than in northern Italy. In Jordan, the climate is desertic, with the highest summer temperatures of these three countries. This also shows in the temperature tolerance of the three subspecies: Spanish and Jordan bees support heat much better, than the Italian ones. For 𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 and 𝘴𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘢, the maximum tolerated temperature in lab experiments was at 45°C. 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢, on the other hand, only supported temperatures up to 41°C. The data for cold are more variable. But 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢 showed to be more resistant to cold than the other two subspecies. Data like this help us to develop measures to adapt to #climatechange for more sustainable #beekeeping. For adaptations based on data. #MEDIBEES

Before using the by-products from honey bee colonies in agriculture, they have to be thoroughly tested. The lab experiments already showed that they are a good source of organic matter and phosphorus. Now, it's out in (semi-) field to see how plants react to these treatments. All by-products were 1. frozen or 2. dehydrated for further analysis and processing. Then, 3. the material was grinded and homogenized in a cement mixer. By this, no piece of soil is getting a different "composition" of the by-product. 4. In the next step, the parcels were prepared: In each square, a defined amount of the by-products were applied to the soil and mixed with it. The by-products of the colonies are compared with other products of animal origin. The soil was then watered to help the decomposition. 5. After four weeks, the material is partly decomposed. At this point, it's time for planting: small chard seedlings have to show how they like these soil conditions. 6. And this was the situation on November 8, 2024. As you can see, they look quite good after a few weeks. Now, they have to fully grow. In the end, the final harvest and the health of the plants will be assessed. Stay tuned for that!

One of the most innovative approaches of #MEDIBEES is how to use #byproducts from the hive, i.e. "waste" as fertilizer in agriculture. This fits perfectly into our aim to provide for #sustainable #beekeeping in the #Mediterranean: Organic material like debris from the colonies provide nutrients, improve the structure of the soil, and enhance the water absorption. The different substrates (debris from the bottom board, remains after melting down combs...) have been tested and analysed in the lab. Currently, our colleague Dr. José Antonio López Pérez is testing the different doses he found in the lab in the field.

There was a third presence of the #MEDIBEES project at the training session at #CIAPA in Marchamalo last week - and a very innovative one: the use of by-products from the hives in agriculture. By-products are those materials that usually would end in the trash: the remains after melting old combs, or all the material on the bottom board after winter. Things like that. These materials, however, could have a use in agriculture. Analysis Dr. José Antonio López Pérez did in the laboratory, showed that these materials are a valuable source phosphorus. This substance is getting a limited resource for agriculture, putting #foodsecurity at risk. The organic matter in the by-products increases soil quality. In addition, a favourable relationship between carbon and nitrogen also contributes to the fertilizing properties of by-products. At the moment, the dosages found in the lab are tested in the field for confirming them for the use in agricultural practice. In the end, this could be an additional source of income for beekeepers as well as helping farmers in maintaining soil health and fertility.

In #MEDIBEES we use some electronic devices for #colony #monitoring. For instance, electronic scales give valuable information on the colony development and, most importantly, on the stores for the colonies. By this, the beekeeper knows without opening the colony, if there's honey coming in, there's a robbing event, or maybe a storm threw the colony off... Fernando Doblado García presented all the uses and possibilities of electronic monitoring systems at the training session at #CIAPA, Marchamalo (Spain) last week.

At a training session for agricultural services at the #CIAPA in Marchamalo (Spain), some of our #MEDIBEES colleagues presented our project. Soledad Sagastume began showing first results on the heat and cold tolerance of different honey bee #subspecies from the Mediterranean. She compared 𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 (Spain), 𝘴𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘢 (Jordan), and 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢 (Italy) bees exposing them to different temperature ranges for heat or for cold in lab experiments. For the heat, the temperature rose from 30-70°C. Here, 𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 and 𝘴𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘢 were more resistant than 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢 bees. Though, all three subspecies had a "red line": For the Spanish and Jordanic bees, this was at 45°C, while the Italian bees tolerated temperatures up to 41°C. These results show that different subspecies will react differently to raising temperatures due to #climatechange. This means that #mitigation measures will have to consider these differences to maintain #beekeeping #sustainable.

In #MEDIBEES we want to understand how #climatechange influences colony development and beekeeping practices. With temperature and humidity sensors in the hive, we can measure how the external conditions influence the colonies. By this, the connections between #subspecies, practices, and external conditions get a baseline for sustainable practices.

Beekeepers are still mainly male - also in our #MEDIBEES partner countries. In a survey done in the first year of our project, there were 9x more men than women responding to the questions. Data like this are important to know about the state of the art in different region. In addition, it also indicates where to start to develop or improve the situation. Involving women in beekeeping operations could help to increase the income of beekeepers and improve overall practices by division of labour.