Abstract
Honey bee colonies are affected by many threats, and the Varroa mite represents one of the most important causes of honey bee disease. The control of the Varroa population is managed by different methods, and in recent years, biotechnical practices are considered preferable to chemical approaches in order to safeguard honey bee health and avoid residues in bee products as well as the appearance of acaricide resistance. However, little is known about the economic performance of beekeeping exploitations in relation to the methods used for tackling Varroa. This study aims to investigate the economic impact of total brood removal (TBR) as a biotechnique to keep Varroa mites under control, and compare this to other common biotechniques and chemical Varroa control in numerous Italian beekeeping case studies. A pool of economic and technical indexes was proposed. The proposed index pool can be included in the development of an expert system (such as a decision support system) able to address the optimal management of this very complex activity, which requires natural resources, land protection, capital and high technical skills. The result showed that the adoption of the TBR biotechnique vs. other biotechniques led to an increase in terms of total revenue (increase values ranging from 11% to 28%) even though more labor is needed (increase values ranging from 43 to 83 min/hive) and a loss of honey production could be recorded in some cases. Additionally, the total expenses, represented mainly by supplemental nutrition and treatments with oxalic acid, affected the economic results of the biotechnical practices. The use of biotechniques vs. chemical control resulted in decreased treatment costs and increased feeding costs. The advantages resulting from not using synthetic acaricides (which are dangerous for honey bee and human health as well as the environment) as well as the advantages linked to the production of new nuclei (which are involved in the maintenance of bee stock and counteract the decline in honey bee population) and pollination ecosystem services could make beekeeping farms more resilient over time.
Highlights
Beekeeping, compared to other agricultural activities, seems to have been investigated less from an economic point of view because it is practiced, in most cases, by hobbyists while professionals exist in more limited numbers
The result showed that the adoption of the total brood removal (TBR) biotechnique vs. other biotechniques led to an increase in terms of total revenue even though more labor is needed and a loss of honey production could be recorded in some cases
The advantages resulting from not using synthetic acaricides as well as the advantages linked to the production of new nuclei and pollination ecosystem services could make beekeeping farms more resilient over time
Summary
Beekeeping, compared to other agricultural activities, seems to have been investigated less from an economic point of view because it is practiced, in most cases, by hobbyists while professionals exist in more limited numbers. In the European Union, beekeeping as an economic activity can be a source of income support and family self-production, but little is known regarding the economic consequences and even less about how these may compare from country to country. Sustainability 2020, 12, x FOR PEER REVIEW source of income support and family self-production, but little is known regarding the economic consequences and even less about how these may compare from country to country. Sustainability 2020, 12, 2302 consider beekeeping very peculiar compared to other agricultural activities, and the European Union implements three-year plans to support activities that support beekeepers [1]. Union implements three-year research hascompared focused more onagricultural the value of the ecosystem services that beekeeping provides for plans to support activities that support beekeepers [1]. Research has focused agriculture and biodiversity, rather than on the profitability of beekeeping farms, especially those more the value of the ecosystem services that beekeeping for agriculture that on operate professionally
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