Competition between wild and honey bees: Floral resources as a common good providing multiple ecosystem services

Abstract

It is increasingly acknowledged that bees are declining, notably as a result of global changes such as climate and land-use changes that affect the abundance and diversity of floral resources (i.e. pollen and nectar). Recently, a new concern has gained traction: the negative impact of honeybees on wild bees due to competition over floral resources. Some studies also suggest that there might be intraspecific competition among honeybees themselves. While these issues have mainly been considered by ecological scientists so far, this study aims to address their social dimensions as well. We suggest that viewing floral resources as common-pool resources could pave the way to new governance mechanisms for their management, based on collective action involving the multiple actors that use and modify these floral resources and the associated ecosystem services. Combining conceptual insights on common-pool resources, collective action and ecosystem services, we develop a conceptual model of human–bee–flower social-ecological systems. This model was applied in a case study in the Cévennes National Park, to analyse beekeepers’ representations, practices, rules-in-use and social interactions, allowing us to identify critical levers and obstacles for collective governance of floral resources. Our analysis reveals that although there are diverse and controversial perceptions of floral resources and competition among bees, the idea of viewing floral resources as a common-pool resource underlies a range of practices and rules-in-use. In addition, we show that beekeepers’ perceptions are changing due to the increasing vulnerability of floral resources. All in all, considering floral resources as a common-pool resource appears a relevant way to study the social interdependencies involved in their management. It is now crucial to develop new forms of governance of floral resources that will reconcile beekeeping and the conservation of wild bees, in coordination with farmers and other land managers.