Wild populations of the western honeybee (Apis mellifera) in the European Union are now listed as endangered on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is the first time they appear on the list. These are bees that live outside hives, mostly in the hollows of old trees and in rock crevices.
Wild colonies make up about one-sixth of all honeybees in Europe. Researchers recorded more than 1,600 nesting sites in 15 European countries.
Why they are disappearing
The biggest problem is the loss of old trees with natural cavities. Bees also suffer from a shortage of flowers, pesticides, the Varroa mite and other diseases, and changes brought by modern beekeeping.
Shrinking natural landscapes leave less pollen and nectar, which makes it especially hard for colonies to survive winter, Phys.org reports.
Without swarms escaping from managed hives into the wild, the authors estimate wild populations would fall by 56 percent in 10 years.
Europe at the bottom
Benjamin Rutschmann of the Swiss research institute Agroscope said Europe has the lowest density of wild honeybee colonies in the world. Patrick Kohl of the University of Hohenheim noted that "wild populations of bees have been a source for beekeeping for millennia."
Kohl added that wild honeybees carry great genetic diversity, including populations that cope with the Varroa mite through natural selection.
The study by the two institutions was published on September 17 in the journal Conservation Science and Practice.
