Characterization of Beekeepers and Their Activities in Seven European Countries

Guiné, Raquel; Mesquita, Sónia; Oliveira, Jorge; Coelho, Catarina; Costa, Daniela Teixeira; Correia, Paula; Correia, Helena Esteves; Dahle, Bjørn; Oddie, Melissa; Raimets, Risto; Karise, Reet; Tourino, Luis; Basile, Salvatore; Buonomo, Emilio; Štefanić, Ivan; Costa, Cristina Amaro da

doi:10.3390/agronomy11122398

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Although beekeeping is not limited to a single sex or age group, the ratio of males to females was about 2:1 in each continent analyzed, and most of the respondents were in the 50-69 age range. This is consistent with the age and gender demographics of beekeepers across multiple countries [28,[32][33][34]. The role of women in beekeeping is important and is a possible method of empowering rural women.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Results of an International Survey for Risk Assessment of Honey Bee Health Concerning Varroa Management

et al. 2022

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Here, we present the results of an online international survey concerning the adoption of good beekeeping practices and proper biosecurity measures for the management of varroosis in Apis mellifera. The survey was designed as a risk assessment tool by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Association (Apimondia), the Center for Analytics Research & Education (CARE) at Appalachian State University, and Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Lazio e Toscana (IZSLT). The data collected investigated the beekeeping techniques, treatments, and training beekeepers adopt concerning the varroa mite. The idea was to validate a tool able to collect and compare, in the different areas of the world, the management measures adopted by beekeepers to face this major parasitic disease of honey bees. The survey was disseminated online for a period of 14 months (January 2019–March 2020) through the FAO website. A total of 861 responses were received, most of them from the Americas (20.9%) and Europe (74.7%). Concerning the control measures useful in combating varroa, the results showed an overall awareness of the usefulness of biosecurity measures in beekeeping (BMBs), which we compare across regions. The majority of the beekeepers (89.9% in the Americas and 82.8% in Europe) were interested in additional bee health training and, at the same time, were willing to connect themselves with veterinary experts specialized in bees. This is an indication that beekeepers recognize the importance of training and experts’ advice. This study revealed the efficacy of the survey adopted as a useful assessment tool that will be further disseminated, even in geographic regions heretofore not investigated, to provide useful information on the status of the beekeeping sector.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Results of an International Survey for Risk Assessment of Honey Bee Health Concerning Varroa Management

et al. 2022

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“…Since many beekeepers' businesses are of a small dimension and greatly contribute to the social development of rural populations, providing them with proper training is essential to help them cope with the sector's challenges. Investing in lifelong learning (LL) and professional training (PT) might make the difference between a successful business or a failure [7][8][9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Professional Training in Beekeeping: A Cross-Country Survey to Identify Learning Opportunities

et al. 2023

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Habitat loss, climate change, and other environmental degradations pose severe challenges to beekeepers. Therefore, this sector needs to rely on updated information so that the intervening actors can deal with the problems. In this context, and assuming that professional training can greatly help those acting in the beekeeping sector, this work intended to investigate the gaps in the updated knowledge of beekeepers and how these can be filled through lifelong learning. The research was conducted in seven European countries (Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, and Spain). The data were collected through a questionnaire survey translated into the native languages of all participating countries. The results revealed that the topics of highest interest are apiary health and pest control and the management of the colonies throughout the year. The beekeepers update their knowledge through family, complemented by professional training, with participants preferring in-person courses as well as, in the workplace or in internships. The learning methodologies they consider most useful are project-based learning and learning through gamification. The videos and paper books or manuals are particularly valued as learning materials, and practical exercises are considered the most helpful assessment format. Finally, considering the effect of sociodemographic variables on the learning experiences and preferences of beekeeping actors, it was observed that the country was the most influential of the variables under study. In conclusion, this work revealed valuable information that should be used to design professional training actions to help the professionals in the beekeeping sector enhance their competencies and be better prepared to manage their activities successfully.

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“…The sample consisted of 85% male and 11% female participants (4% no answer), which is typical for the male dominated beekeeping sector in Europe and Austria [7]. The education level of citizen scientists was high: 33% had an academic degree and 49% completed professional training.…”

Section: Description Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Between economic efficiency and idealism: motivations for beekeepers participating in a honey bee health research project

Morawetz,

Brodschneider

2023

Proceedings of Austrian Citizen Science Conference 2023 — PoS(ACSC2023)

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Studies involving beekeepers have proven to be an effective tool for honey bee health research. The contributory citizen science project "Virus Monitoring" focused on bee virus prevalence in Austria. It was characterised by reliable cooperation with 211 beekeepers and a drop out rate of only 10%. The participating citizen scientists provided their own bee colonies and carried out sampling and symptom observation in the colonies. At the end of the project, we surveyed the citizen scientists in an online questionnaire about their motivations for participation (n=146). We want to understand the successful participant bond and to make it repeatable for future projects. For more than 90% of the beekeepers, both practical reasons, such as improving the health of their own bees at low cost, and idealistic reasons, such as supporting science and the environment and expanding their own knowledge, played an important role. Future citizen science projects should address beekeepers in their multiple roles: as agricultural (micro) entrepreneurs, as people interested in science and knowledge, and as responsible caretakers of an ecologically important pollinator species.

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Characterization of Beekeepers and Their Activities in Seven European Countries

Cited by 6 publications

References 27 publications

Results of an International Survey for Risk Assessment of Honey Bee Health Concerning Varroa Management

Results of an International Survey for Risk Assessment of Honey Bee Health Concerning Varroa Management

Professional Training in Beekeeping: A Cross-Country Survey to Identify Learning Opportunities

Between economic efficiency and idealism: motivations for beekeepers participating in a honey bee health research project

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