Help SLU find wild honey bees this summer

This summer, you can report sightings of wild honeybee colonies living independently in nature with no connection to beekeeping. This is part of a new European research project, FREE-B, financed by BioDiversa.

One of the biggest threats to honeybees is the Varroa mite, which transmits deadly viral diseases. Originally from Asia, it was first discovered in Sweden in the 1980s. Affected colonies typically die within a few years unless the beekeeper actively combats the mite.

“However, we know from our research on an isolated 25-year old population of bee colonies on Gotland that honeybees can survive with the Varroa mite over a longer time, under specific conditions. What we don't know is how common such wild populations are, or how those survive in the long term,' says Joachim de Miranda, a researcher at SLU and the project leader for the Swedish part of FREE-B.

Wild bee colonies

A wild honeybee colony usually lives in a cavity a few metres above the ground with a small entrance. This could be in an old tree, a rock crevice, a wall or a chimney. On sunny days, there is often activity visible at the entrance, with bees flying in and out and guard bees standing watch.

"Finding many wild bee colonies far from managed apiaries is especially valuable, as this may indicate the survival of a whole population of wild bee colonies surviving completely independently," says Joachim de Miranda.

Important pollinators

The European honeybee, Apis mellifera, is part of our native fauna and has played an important role in both our natural and cultural history. But today, wild populations are highly endangered – if they even exist. Almost the entire honeybee genetic diversity is now conserved in beekeeping.

– Honeybees are unique as pollinators – they are active from early spring to late autumn and can cover the large-scale pollination needs of agriculture. Understanding and preserving their natural ability to survive is crucial for both biodiversity and food security, says Joachim de Miranda.

European project

FREE-B is a collaboration between researchers from Sweden, Portugal, France, Ireland, and Poland. The project aims to map the presence of wild honeybees in various European climates and landscapes, and to understand how they are affected by current threats, such as the Varroa mite, but also future threats that are already present in southern Europe and are on their way northwards, such as the small hive beetle Aethina tumida, which destroys the bees’ food stores, and the invasive Asian hornet Vespa velutina, an insect predator that systematically exterminates the colony’s adult bees in order to reach and consume the larvae. 

How to report a sighting

To report a sighting, send a photo of the wild bee colony to this email address: free-b@slu.se. Please include also the following:

• The bee colony’s location (GPS coordinates, if possible).
• How long the bees have been there (if known).
• Contact details for someone who can follow up on the sighting.

Researchers will then follow up on a selection of the reported colonies together with local beekeepers and citizen scientists. They will collect data on the nesting site, growth, and survival, and take samples for genetic and microbiological analysis.

FREE-B’s Swedish project coordinator is Joachim de Miranda, researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. For more information please check www.free-b.eu or contact free-b@slu.se.