Challenging the sustainability of urban beekeeping using evidence from Swiss cities

Casanelles‐Abella, Joan; Moretti, Marco

doi:10.1038/s42949-021-00046-6

Cited by 16 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(33 reference statements)

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“…Second, we did not find a direct effect of beekeeping intensity proxies at either the local or landscape scale on feeding niche partitioning nor on wild bee species richness. Still, considering that beekeeping in Zurich has increased since this experiment was carried out (Casanelles‐Abella & Moretti, 2022 ), our results could be interpreted as a warning signal of the future consequences of uncontrolled increases in urban beekeeping. A possible reason for the lack of a negative relationship between beekeeping intensity and feeding niche partitioning is that beekeeping intensity for the focal year, together with resource availability at the relevant spatial scales, created the conditions to enable wild bee and honeybee coexistence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…In our case, urban beekeeping is a relatively new activity in cities, but it has undergone fast and unregulated growth in recent years. For example, in Zurich the number of hives has increased from ~530 in 2012 to ~1100 in 2020 (Casanelles‐Abella & Moretti, 2022 ). Although floral resources probably have not remained constant, it is also unlikely that they have increased at the same pace as urban beekeeping, specifically considering the ongoing densification of Zurich to spare other land covers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Low resource availability drives feeding niche partitioning between wild bees and honeybees in a European city

Casanelles‐Abella

Fontana

Fournier

et al. 2022

Ecological Applications

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Cities are socioecological systems that filter and select species, therefore establishing unique species assemblages and biotic interactions. Urban ecosystems can host richer wild bee communities than highly intensified agricultural areas, specifically in resource-rich urban green spaces such as allotments and family gardens. At the same time, urban beekeeping has boomed in many European cities, raising concerns that the fast addition of a large number of managed bees could deplete the existing floral resources, triggering competition between wild bees and honeybees. Here, we studied the interplay between resource availability and the number of honeybees at local and landscape scales and how this relationship influences wild bee diversity. We collected wild bees and honeybees in a pollination experiment using four standardized plant species with distinct floral morphologies. We performed the experiment in 23 urban gardens in the city of Zurich (Switzerland), distributed along gradients of urban and local management intensity, and measured functional traits related to resource use. At each site, we quantified the feeding niche partitioning (calculated as the average distance in the multidimensional trait space) between the wild bee community and the honeybee population. Using multilevel structural equation models (SEM), we tested direct and indirect effects of resource availability, urban beekeeping, and wild bees on the community feeding niche partitioning. We found an increase in feeding niche partitioning with increasing wild bee species richness. Moreover, feeding niche partitioning tended to increase in experimental sites with lower resource availability at the landscape scale, which had lower abundances of honeybees. However, beekeeping intensity at the local and landscape scales did not directly influence community feeding niche partitioning or wild bee species richness. In addition, wild bee species richness was positively influenced by local resource availability, whereas local honeybee abundance was positively affected by landscape resource availability. Overall, these results suggest that Joan Casanelles-Abella and Simone Fontana are joint first authors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low resource availability drives feeding niche partitioning between wild bees and honeybees in a European city

Casanelles‐Abella

Fontana

Fournier

et al. 2022

Ecological Applications

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“…Honey bees are highly mobile organisms that are free to roam and exploit floral resources in their environment. As such, the introduction of honey bee colonies in cities usually does not coincide with an increase in the pollen and nectar required to sustain the wild bee community in addition to burgeoning honey bee populations ( Casanelles-Abella & Moretti, 2022 ). Given that competition between bee species increases when floral resources are limited, the potential for negative interactions between honey bees and wild bees could be reduced by increasing pollen and nectar sources in tandem with new colonies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There has been a rapid increase in the number of honey bee colonies introduced to many cities, often unregulated and endorsed by public authorities in a misdirected effort to mitigate pollinator declines ( Lorenz & Stark, 2015 ). This increase in hobby and commercial beekeepers has produced high densities of colonies in many cities, sometimes on the order of six or more colonies per km 2 ( Ropars et al, 2019 ; Casanelles-Abella & Moretti, 2022 ). As healthy colonies can contain upwards of 50,000 bees by midsummer ( Sagili & Burgett, 2011 ), this has the potential to substantially increase the competitive pressure on native bees for a limited amount of pollen and nectar provided by the urban flora.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decline in wild bee species richness associated with honey bee (Apis melliferaL.) abundance in an urban ecosystem

MacInnis

Normandin

Ziter

2023

PeerJ

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The spatial heterogeneity of urban landscapes, relatively low agrochemical use, and species-rich floral communities often support a surprising diversity of wild pollinators in cities. However, the management of Western honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) in urban areas may represent a new threat to wild bee communities. Urban beekeeping is commonly perceived as an environmentally friendly practice or a way to combat pollinator declines, when high-density beekeeping operations may actually have a negative influence on native and wild bee populations through floral resource competition and pathogen transmission. On the Island of Montréal, Canada there has been a particularly large increase in beekeeping across the city. Over the years following a large bee diversity survey ending in 2013, there was an influx of almost three thousand honey bee colonies to the city. In this study, we examined the wild bee communities and floral resources across a gradient of honey bee abundances in urban greenspaces in 2020, and compared the bee communities at the same sites before and after the large influx of honey bees. Overall, we found a negative relationship between urban beekeeping, pollen availability, and wild bee species richness. We also found that honey bee abundance had the strongest negative effect on small (inter-tegular span <2.25 mm) wild bee species richness. Small bee species may be at higher risk in areas with abundant honey bee populations as their limited foraging range may reduce their access to floral resources in times of increased competition. Further research on the influence of urban beekeeping on native and wild pollinators, coupled with evidence-based beekeeping regulations, is essential to ensure cities contain sufficient resources to support wild bee diversity alongside managed honey bees.

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“…It is known that polycultures and florally diverse environments support native pollinator diversity due to a continuous supply of food resources [ 140 , 141 ]. Casanelles-Abella and Moretti (2022) proved that apiaries in cities are a potential problem for the biodiversity of some pollinator species, especially wild bees [ 142 ]. In fact, maybe for this reason, we did not capture any wild bees in our traps.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Beehive Proximity, Human Activity and Agricultural Intensity on Diptera Diversity in a Mediterranean Mosaic of Agroecosystems, with a Focus on Pest Species

Sladonja

Gajger

Uzelac

et al. 2023

Animals

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Diptera, with their participation in pollination, significantly contribute to the maintenance of plant diversity, and they also have great potential for assessing habitat health and preserving it. A decline in their abundance and diversity has been recorded worldwide as a consequence of biotic, abiotic, and anthropic alterations. In addition to pollinators, these orders include agricultural and forestry pests, which are a threat to both cultivated and wild plants that are very important to the economy. Many pests have escaped from their native areas, and it is important to monitor their spread to implement sustainable means of control. Our study provides baseline information on Diptera and Vespidae diversity in the Mediterranean mosaic of agroecosystems, giving information on the importance of human influence on insect diversity. We carried out an insect inventory in Istria, Croatia, using a set of traps placed in the proximity of beehives. This study was also important in determining the presence of pests and newly introduced species. A total of 94 species from 24 families were recorded—7 important agricultural pests of Diptera and 17 new records for Croatia. The correlation between species diversity and environmental and anthropogenic factors leads to the conclusion that total insect species richness, pest species richness, and the first findings depend on human activities. The number of honeybee colonies negatively correlated with species richness, while anthropic influence positively affected total and pest species richness.

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Challenging the sustainability of urban beekeeping using evidence from Swiss cities

Cited by 16 publications

References 23 publications

Low resource availability drives feeding niche partitioning between wild bees and honeybees in a European city

Low resource availability drives feeding niche partitioning between wild bees and honeybees in a European city

Decline in wild bee species richness associated with honey bee (Apis melliferaL.) abundance in an urban ecosystem

The Impact of Beehive Proximity, Human Activity and Agricultural Intensity on Diptera Diversity in a Mediterranean Mosaic of Agroecosystems, with a Focus on Pest Species

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