SmartBees : 17
should be managed with a restricted number of locally adapted methods to allow colonies to express their true potential.
Trained and Updated WP 1 will aim to identify bees with enhanced virus resistance
responsibility of the German Bee Institute in Kirchhain, Germany, honey bee colonies from different subspecies across Europe will be tested for traditional traits. These include honey production, docility and swarming. Principally, however, traits associated with levels of resistance against varroa mites will be assessed, including hygienic and grooming behaviour, varroa-sensitive hygiene (VSH) and natural mite mortality. Standardised methods for
assessment of these traits will be established for use by participating beekeepers, while some more specialist methods will be carried out with partner research institutes. Around 80 testing apiaries, each consisting of 10–20 colonies, will be established across Europe out of which around six will be in Great Britain and Ireland.
The applied management and testing protocol will be adapted to local conditions and beekeeping approaches. However, the test colonies
All the beekeepers involved in SmartBees will be trained and updated frequently during the project; this is fundamental to the project’s success as dissatisfaction with the performance of native bee races was a fundamental reason for their replacement with races enhanced by breeding strategies. Therefore, breeding strategies that have proven to be successful will be adapted for previously neglected bee races. Data from the European Reference Laboratory for Bee Diseases will be analysed in order to prepare for future diseases and threats, while a working group specialising in
knowledge transfer will prepare the findings for practical use, creating learning modules and building information networks within and between countries. The project’s findings and development of new methods and strategies will only lead to a sustainable improvement of bee health and diversity if European beekeepers are actively involved. We would therefore invite you to visit the SmartBees (www.
smartbees-fp7.eu/extension) and NBU (
www.nationalbeeunit. com) websites for further information and updates. ♠
Acknowledgement
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 613960.
May 2015 Vol 97 No 5
www.bee-craft.com
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