Rural avenues as a refuge for feral honey bee population

Andrzej Oleksa,Robert Gawroński,Adam Tofilski

doi:10.1007/s10841-012-9528-6

Andrzej Oleksa, Robert Gawroński + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-012-9528-6

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Abstract

Several honey bee (Apis mellifera) subspecies are in danger of local extinction because their feral population have almost completely disappeared. An important threat to the feral populations of bees is loss of habitat and loss of woodlands. In many places the only habitat suitable for honey bee nesting are rows of trees along roadsides. We studied a feral population of honey bees inhabiting avenues in northern Poland. We inspected 142 km of avenues and found 45 feral colonies. The estimated density of feral population inhabiting the avenues was 0.10 nest km−2. Honey bees preferred to build their nests in trees with a thick trunk and a somewhat weak state of health. There was no strong preference of bees to any species of trees. We stress the importance of protection of existing avenues and creating new ones. This can provide suitable habitat not only for honey bees but also for other endangered species.

Highlights

The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is native to Africa, Middle East and Europe, except its most northern part
Several honey bee (Apis mellifera) subspecies are in danger of local extinction because their feral population have almost completely disappeared
We studied a feral population of honey bees inhabiting avenues in northern Poland

Summary

Introduction

The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is native to Africa, Middle East and Europe, except its most northern part R. Gawronski Kasprowicza 8, 14-300 Morag, Poland. A. Tofilski Department of Pomology and Apiculture, Agricultural University, 29 Listopada 54, 31-425 Krakow, Poland. In this area, more than twenty subspecies or geographical races have been described (Ruttner 1988). Some of the subspecies are at local risk of extinction. The major threats to feral honey bees include: intensive land use, spread of new pathogens and introductions of non-native subspecies by beekeepers (De la Rua et al 2009). Feral (unmanaged) population of honey bees have almost completely disappeared in Europe In many places, managed populations kept by beekeepers in hives do not consist of native subspecies. For example in Germany the native A. m. For example in Germany the native A. m. mellifera was to a large degree hybridised with A. m. carnica (Moritz 1991; Maul and Hahnle 1994)

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