Dear friends of bees and beekeepers,
dear supporters of the foundation,
Two special bee years lie behind us.
Corona and beekeeping ...have nothing to do with each other at first sight. The bees are not fighting viruses. They have enough to do with mites. Nevertheless, the peculiarity of these two years has something to do with it. On the one hand, this is due to the overall situation, which made it virtually impossible to get together with beekeepers' associations in time for the year and to plan and implement the research measures. It was just as impossible to give lectures as it was to take part in beekeepers' association meetings, which were not allowed to take place at all. This had a strong influence on the implementation of planned measures.
Business management vers. Bee health
Another weighty reason lies in the far pronounced yield orientation of many beekeepers (hobby beekeepers). For many beekeepers it is difficult or even inconceivable to do without a part or even the entire honey yield from a bee colony. And this although it must be known that industrial sugar is not an adequate substitute for the honey that the bees collect for the long winter.
The others are always to blame
The reasons for the still continuing bee death are looked for exclusively "with the others". This is not fundamentally just wrong. The use of pesticides, dressings, fertilizers and other chemical products - the industry also likes to call them pesticides - contributes to the death and extinction of many insects, including the honey bee. There is no if and no but to it.
Sweep before the own front door?
However, it is also true that, from our point of view, it makes sense to work first on those things that we ourselves can decide, significantly influence and tackle. From the Foundation's point of view, the following questions arise:
Does the current, widespread beekeeping correspond to the nature of bees? Is housing in wooden or even polystyrene boxes appropriate for the species?
Does the profit thinking contribute to the vulnerability of the bees and to the bee death? We would like to point out that 40-50 years ago hobby beekeepers "harvested" much less honey (sometimes up to 15 kg in one season, depending on the location).
Do we not come by the arbitrary development of the bee colonies by additionally installed magazines the mass animal husbandry ever more near or are we already there arrived? Is it species-appropriate and health-promoting, if we speak in the high time of the year of colony sizes of 50,000 or even 80,000 bees?
Who actually tells us where our conditioning comes from, that the honey bee is not able to survive without the intervention of humans?
The question catalog could be extended here still clearly. We will come back to further questions in another place.
The current standard of beekeeping is not without alternative!
Results in our research work have shown us that beekeeping without or only with very few interventions is beneficial to bee health. This also includes the removal of very little honey or the complete renunciation of it. The aim of the Foundation's research project is to put these individual results on a broad, representative platform.
Out of the beaten track
Against the background of the questions listed above, we understand the reserved attitude of German beekeepers. It is a matter of reconsidering the overall situation of beekeeping and leaving "familiar paths". This is notoriously difficult for our species.
Different beekeeping in Hungary
In Hungary we encountered a completely different attitude last year. 10 - 15 kg yield per season and bee colony is considered a good yield by hobby beekeepers here. The use of the "chemical club" is often completely or at least partially dispensed with. The natural swarm drive is yielded by many beekeepers. Resulting yield losses are approved. The development of the Beuten limits itself usually to maximally 3 magazines.
Bee mortality is nevertheless widespread there. In an average year it is assumed in Hungary that approx. 10-20% of the colonies do not survive the winter (relatively mild). There is great interest in improving this situation.
Our foundation has started exactly here and in the meantime there are ten colonies from which no honey will be taken this year. In five of these colonies, no chemical products are used to suppress the Varroa mite. This is a long-term trial over 3 years. 10 more colonies will follow in the coming year. A detailed description of all measures will be given elsewhere.
Against the background of the lower yields and the lower price per kilo for the honey compared to Germany, this project is also significantly cheaper to implement. We are very pleased about the open-minded attitude of the beekeepers approached.
On our own property, we also want to build "hives" in the winter, which correspond to the natural way of life of the bees.
We will keep you informed with pleasure.
Best regards from Hungary and
BE(E) GOOD
Klaus Heinzel
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