SmartBees

Sustainable Management of Resilient Bee Populations

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SMARTBEES at APIMONDIA, September 29th- October 4th, Istanbul, Turkey

At the 45th International Apicultural Congress APIMONDIA September 29th- October 4th, Istanbul, Turkey, members of SMARTBEES consortium are going to give talks/organize Round Tables discussions relevant to the project. Read Moreā€¦

SMARTBEES at the EURBEE, Congress of Apidology

We would be glad if you could join us at EURBEE in Cluj, Romania, on Friday 9th in the “Regele Ferdinand” Amphitheater where several partners will be presenting their results obtained so far and will give an outlook of the work ahead:

After a short introduction by coordinator Kaspar Bienefeld at 9:45 Desiderato Annoscia will talk about "Varroa destructor and Deformed Wing Virus are linked in a mutualistic symbiosis accounting for their major role in honeybee colony collapses ";

after this presentation Adrian Siceanu will be presenting about: Preliminary study regarding infestation level of Varroa (Varroa destructor) correlated with honeybee colonies survival in a case study in Romania.

Further speakers are
  • Ralph Buchler: Low Varroa mite reproduction in European honey bees
  • Gennaro di Prisco: Neonicotinoids and immunity
  • Ewan Campbell: Proteomic analysis of Varroa destructor saliva: do factors in mite saliva affect bee immuno-competence?
  • Jakob Wegener: Proteomic analysis of hygienic behaviour in Apis mellifera carnica
  • Marina Meixner: Genetic and morphometric variation of A. mellifera mellifera across its range
  • Aleksander Uzunov: Genetic improvement of European honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) populations
The complete program is found here.


SMARTBEES at the 5th Panhellenic Beekeeping Congress

SMARTBEES activities of the team of Agricultural University of Athens-Greece (Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology) were presented in 5th Panhellenic Beekeeping Congress, Piraeus, Greece, 4-6 December 2015.
Please find the talk (in Greek) for download here.

SmartBees at the 44th Apimondia International Apicultural Congress in Korea

At the 44th Apimondia International Apicultural Congress in Korea SmartBees coordinator Prof. Bienefeld held a talk in frame of the symposium: Indigenous Bees aid Conservation I entitled "The status and prospects of Apis cerana". You find the abstract below:

The status and prospects of Apis cerana
Kaspar Bienefeld, Holly Jones
Institute for Bee Research Hohen Neuendorf, Germany

Although A. cerana produces less honey per colony than A. mellifera, it is well-acclimated to its native environment, gentle, and resistant to honey bees' main threat: Varroa destructor. These factors seems A. cerana optimal for beekeeping within its natural habitat A survey was sent to 30 apiculturists throughout Asia to assess their observations of current A, cerana populations, population changes, influences of A. mellifera, and other aspects ofbeekeeping in their respective countries. On average, A. cerana populations have decreased by 55%' but up to 95% in some areas of its range, due partially to imports of European Apis mellifera and the resulting exchangeofdiseases. In62,5Yo (10of16) ofthecountriesinquestion,anevenfurtherdeclineinA'cerana populations is to be expected. Nearly all participants expressed support for A. cerana conservation measures and a third specifically emphasized the necessity of breeding progmms. As the superioi performance of A. mellifera relies largely on breeding programs, similar practices with A. cerana should improve traits which beekeepers have previously considered to be insufficient. The substantial genetic improvement in terms of productivity, behavior, and disease resistance observed in A. mellifera following the introduction of new breeding strategies attests to the effectiveness and sustainability ofthis option. In reference to the concepts ofthe new EU "Smartbees" project (www.smartbees-fu7.eu), which uses modern breeding strategies to adapt endangered A. mellifera subspecies to beekeepers'needsand thus preserve these native populations, we suggest creating a similar initiative for A. cerana'

SmartBees presentation in Czech Republic

The project was presented in Brno on the 26th of September 2015

Smartbees in Switzerland

The project was presented in frame of the spring convention of the Swiss association for animal production. On the homepage of this organization, the prevention is available for download.

Presentation of Smartbees at the German breeders convention

Professor Bienefeld presented the project at the German bee breeders convention in Drübeck, Germany, on the13th of March 2015.

Smartbees in India and Nepal

The project has been presented in 2 seminars at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR) in New Delhi, India, on the 4th of March 2015 and at the Insitute of Science and Technologie of the Tribhuvan University and the National History Museum of Nepal in Kathmandu, Nepal, on the 9th of March 2015, respectively.