AThe BeeGuards consortium has been funded to provide sustainable management practices, novel breeding strategies, and digital and forecasting tools that will allow the beekeeping sector to adapt to a changing environment.
The consortium is coordinated by Dr Cecilia Costa from the Italian Agricultural research Council (CREA). Starting in October 2023, the project brings together 27 partners, including scientists, beekeepers and beekeeping associations, consulting and technology companies from 16 countries. It was selected as one of two research projects for the “Resilient beekeeping” call funded under the Horizon Europe framework (HORIZON-CL6-2022-BIODIV-02).
BeeGuards will conduct studies in 11 countries in Europe and beyond, applying innovative threshold-based management practices, using hives equipped with digital sensors. It will support the work of beekeepers by providing guidelines for the adaptation of beekeeping practices to present and future challenges. BeeGuards will carry out complementary immunological, behavioural, pathological, genomic and ecological studies to explore how management, climate and environment act on honey bees and other pollinators.
Read more at: University of Newcastle
Photo Credit: Laura_Kuhn via Pixabay