Project description
More about ‘FIT BEE’
There has been a dramatic decrease in the number of bee colonies in Germany over more than the last two decades; in addition, periodical total losses of apiaries have been recorded (DIB, DeBiMo end-of-year reports). It is assumed that environmental parameters like climate and food availability as well as bee diseases have had an important role in explaining these losses because they have a greater impact on the health and vitality of honey bees than on other forms of livestock, which may be kept under more controlled conditions and under greater surveillance.
The healthy, vital bee colony (‘FIT BEE’) is the central focus of our joint project. The project's component modules aim - within the context of an integrated network - at understanding more deeply the complex interactions between the individual bee, the bee colony, bee diseases and environmental parameters. The project thereby aims to define conditions for a healthy bee colony and to improve them by specific measures.
Interaction of the factors
Influence of and interaction between different factors impacting the health of the bee colony. The environment, the apiary and individual bee health influence the vitality of the bee colony directly (red arrows). The numbers refer to the modules described on this internet page. The modules investigate the harmful effects and measures to reduce them.