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L A N D E S A N S TA LT F Ü R
B IENENKUNDE
Dr. Peter Rosenkranz
LA Bienenkunde, Universität Hohenheim, D-70599 Stuttgart
Organic Beekeeping
Special thanks to Remigius Binder, professional advisor for beekeeping at the Regierungspräsidium Tübingen, who provided information on the regulations and some of
the pictures
2 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Content
1. Honey bee biology and social Evolution in bees
2. Economic value of bees
3. Annual life cycle of a honey bee colony
• Under natural condition
• Under beekeeping condition
4. General aspects and problems of organic beekeeping
5. Specific regulations of organic beekeeping
6. Pesticides and honey bee health
(according to the recent discussion on Neonicotinoides)
7. Summary
3 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Systematic of bees
Class Insecta
Order Hymenoptera
Aculeata
Family Apidae
Stingless bees (Melipona spec.)
Bumble bees (Bombus spec.)
Honey bees (Apis spec.)
Worldwide about 20.000 Bee species
In Germany about 600 Bee species (most of them solitary)
4 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
“What are bees”?
Pecularities of Bees
• Use of Pollen and nectar for nutrition
• Visiting plants during foraging
• Many species live in social communities
Important pollinators
5 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Social Community and Evolution
“... I will confine myself to one special difficulty
which at first appeared to me insuperable, and
actually fatal to the whole theory (of evolution).
I allude to the neuters or sterile females in insect
communities”
Darwin’s enigma
How can sterile females be explained
within the framework of an evolutionary
theory based on survival of the fittest?
In other words:
6 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Social Community and Evolution
Darwin’s enigma “This difficulty (of sterile workers), though
appearing insuperable, is lessened, or, as I believe,
disappears, when it is remembered that selection
may be applied to the family, as well as to the
individual, and may thus gain the desired end”
7 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Solitary Eusocial
Communal
Semisocial
„Social Evolution“
8 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Honey Bees
Apis mellifera in Ethiopia
Apis dorsata in Asia (Giant Hone Bee) Apis florea in Asia
Dwarf Honey Bee
9 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Worldwide distribution of honey bees (Apis) and Stingless Bees
Honey bees
Honey bees & Stingless bees
Stingless bees
Stingless bees
10 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Social organization of a honey bee colony
Males:
“Drones” deriving from unfertilized
eggs. The only “task” is mating
with the queen.
Female castes:
• Queen: reproduction
• Workers: all working tasks within in the colony
Both derived from fertilized eggs, no genetic
difference between workers and queens
11 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Economic value of honey bees
Products provided by Bees
• Honey
• Wax
• Pollen
• Propolis
• Royal Jelly
• Bee venom
• Pollination
12 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Pollination by bees
• 1/3 of the agricultural production worldwide depends on
pollination
• Economic value (estimated):
- Worldwide: ~ 100 Billion € (honeybees)
- USA: ~ 40 Billion € (bees in general, Morse 2001)
- Germany ~ 2.5 Billion €
• Bees are the most effective pollinators among the insects.
They perform about 50% of insect pollination.
Agricultural Biodiversity
http://www.cbd.int/agro/ (accessed on May 7th 2012)
13 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Pollination by honey bees
Jordan (Strawberry)
During spring a honey bee colony is able to perform about 10,000,000
visits of flowers per day!
Almond (California)
14 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Importance of the Honey Bee as Lifestock
Photos: www.tierportrait.ch
1 2 3
15 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Life cycle of a honey bee colony
Bee beekeeping techniques
16 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Population dynamic of a honey bee colony
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
Anzahl Bienen/ Brutzellen
Bienen
Brut
Long-living winter bees
Sensitive Phase!
Growth Phase
17 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Life cycle of a honey bee colony
• In Central Europe there exist no sustainable feral honey bee population
• In contrast to the the tropics where only about 90% of the total honey bees are kept as managed colonies
Swarm catching in Brazil
18 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Life cycle of a honey bee colony
• There hardly exist any beekeeping management system that use the natural life cycle of the honey bee colony!
• Example: Old German tradition („Strohkörbe“): The honey bees are kept rather than managed
19 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Life cycle of a honey bee colony
Natural life cycle
• Autumn: The colony prepares for wintering, reduces brood and subsequently bee population and produces long living winter bees (up to 6 month). The honey from the season serves as food storage. During winter the colony forms a „wintercluster“. The colony is active throughout the whole winter („heating“ the cluster by muscle movements use of storage!)
• Spring (February/ March): The bees start pollen foraging, the queen starts egg laying and the winter bees feed the first larvae some weeks later the size of the colony increases (winter bees die, new hatching bees contribute to the bee population) from about 8,000 bees in February up to 30,000 bees + 35,000 brood cells at the middle of the year.
• Swarming (during spring and early summer): This is the reproduction of the colony! If the colony is strong enough and the conditions favorable, half of the bees leave the colony with the old queen, the remaining part of the colony breed a new queen that becomes mated and establish again a colony.
• Problems: To find nesting sites for swarm and enough food to establish a new colony and food storage (about 15 – 20 kg) for wintering.
20 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Life cycle of a honey bee colony
Beekeeping
• Autumn: The beekeeper feed the colony (honey has been removed), perform treatments against Varroa mites and “organizes” size of the hive, combs etc. for wintering.
• Spring (February/ March):The beekeeper “organizes” again size of the hive, prevents swarming and breed and exchange queens. He makes colony splits to increase size of the colonies.
• Summer: The beekeeper removes the honey and feeds with sugar/ syrupe.
21 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Advanced beekeeping techniques
Photos: Wolfgang Stöckmann
Photo: Thehoneygatherers.com
22 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
“Hi-Tech” Honey harvesting
Photos: Wolfgang Stöckmann
23 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Organic beekeeping in the EU
• Organic beekeeping was first regulated in 1991 with the EU Regulation 184/91
• Organic beekeeper have on average more colonies
• North and Central Europe are not self-reliant, neither for conventional nor for organic honey
• Germany is a “key player” in the import
• Most organic honey is imported from Latin America (Brazil, Argentina)
• In Latin America the price for organic bulk honey is about 20-30% higher
• In 9 EU countries between 0.1 and 8 % of the hives are managed according to regulations of organic beekeeping
• The demand of organic is high, however organic production in Central EU is difficult: low honey yields, complicated market access, prices of organic honey often do not cover production costs
24 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Organic beekeeping in the EU (2011) General problems of organic beekeeping
25 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
General problems of organic beekeeping
• Meaning of “natural” and “organic” in beekeeping (most beekeeper consider themselves to perform natural management)
• Foraging range and nectar/pollen sources
• Multiplication of colonies
• Breeding/ selection of queens
• Bees wax, residues
• Varroa treatment
• Feeding
• Material for the hives
• Control of production rather than control of product
26 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Organic organisations vs. EU regulations
EU-Reg. Bioland Demeter
Conversion
• Partial conversion possible (minimum time period 1 year)
• All colonies have to be converted
• Trademark can be used 1 year after conversion at the earliest
• All colonies have to be converted
• Conversion period 3 years; during this period a “conversion trademark” can be used
27 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Foraging range
Area of a circle = r2 x π r
Area F
r = 100 m F = 10.000 m² = 0,01 km² = 1ha
r = 250 m F = 196.000 m² = 0,196 km² ~ 20 ha
r = 0,5 km F = 0,785 km² = 78 ha
r = 1 km F = 3,14 km² = 314 ha
r = 2 km F = 12,56 km² = 1256 ha
r = 3 km F = 2826 ha
28 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Organic organisations vs. EU regulations
EU-Reg. Bioland Demeter
Apiary • „Substantially“
only organic crops
or natural habitats
with low
environmental
pollution within the
flight range of 3
km
• No negative
impact should be
expected for
honey bee
products from
nectar sources
within a radius of 3
km
• No migratory
beekeeping in
conventional
orchards allowed
• Only organic crops
or natural habitats
within the flight
range
29 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Organic organisations vs. EU regulations
EU-Reg. Bioland Demeter
Hive
materials
• Only natural
materials
without
negative
impact for the
environment
• Wood, litter or
clay. Exceptions
possible for the
roof, minor parts
of the hive and
the bottom
• Natural materials
like wood, litter or
clay. Exceptions
possible for the
roof, minor parts
of the hive and
the bottom
30 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Organic organisations vs. EU regulations
EU-Reg. Bioland Demeter
Bees
Wax
• Must originate
from organic
production
• Naturally built combs;
for comb foundation
wax from uncapping
of honey combs from
Bioland enterprises
• Naturally built
combs; for comb
foundation wax from
uncapping of honey
combs from Demeter
enterprises
Combs • No specific
requirements
• Possibility for the
construction of natural
combs during the
season
• Naturally built combs
within the brood nest;
in the honey supper
comb foundation
allowed
31 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Bees wax
32 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Organic organisations vs. EU regulations
EU-Reg. Bioland Demeter
Multiplication
and breeding
• No
regulations
• Preference of
natural breeding
and multiplication
• Artificial
insemination with
exceptional
permission
• Multiplication by
swarming
• “Swarm
management”
possible
• No artificial
queen breeding
allowed
33 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Organic organisations vs. EU regulations
EU-Reg. Bioland Demeter
Buying of
colonies
• Colonies from
organic beekeeping
• max. 10%
conventional
queens or swarms
(if kept on organic
combs)
• Buying from Bioland
enterprises
• If not available from
organic beekeeping
• max. 10%
conventional queens
or swarms (if kept
on organic combs)
• No permanent
buying-in of
colonies allowed
• Bying exclusively
from Demeter
enterprises
• “Foreign” colonies
have to be
included without
combs into the
enterprise
34 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
EU-Reg. Bioland Demeter
Bee
health
• Organic acids,
registered thymol
compounds
• Drone brood
removal
• Organic acids
• Biotechnical
methods
• Organic acids
• Heat treatment
• Brood removal
• Artificial swarm
Organic organisations vs. EU regulations
35 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Honeybee diseases
Varroosis (Varroa destructor):
• Parasitic mite, sucks hemolymph from adult bees and brood stages
• Vector for secondary infections (Bee viruses)
• In temperate climate, infested coloneis die within 2-3 years without
treatment Most important threat to beekeeping worldwide
• Most tropical bees are tolerant toward Varroosis!
36 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Varroa life cycle
37 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
egg 5 egg 4 egg 3 egg 2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
egg 1
protonymphe deutonymphe adult male/ female
mother mite mating
1-3 daughter mites
Days after invasion of the brood cell
Rosenkranz, Aumeier, Ziegelmann, 2010, review in JIP
Varroa life cycle
38 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Population dynamics
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
Anzahl Bienen/ Brutzellen
Bienen
Brut
Varroa
Long-living winter bees
Sensitive Phase!
Growth Phase
39 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Host damages
Mainly through parasitation of the brood:
Weight loss, shorter life span, less productive
Activation and transmission of viral diseases
Disorder of social behaviour
desorganisation of the „superorganism“
Damage threshold in autumn: ~ 10% adult bee infestation Varroa infestation in autumn is the main factor for colony winter losses!
40 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Secondary infections are the main problem
Virus and Bacteria
41 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
EU-Reg. Bioland Demeter
(Winter-)
Feedíng
• Organic honey
• Organic sugar
• Organic syrupe
• Winter feeding
preferably with honey
• Bioland feeding; if not
available:
• Organic feeding
• No pollen substitute
allowed
• Winter feeding
preferably with
honey; mind. 10%
honey
• Organic feeding
• No feeding fpr
colony “stimulation”
allowed
• No pollen substitute
allowed
Organic organisations vs. EU regulations
42 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Organic organisations vs. EU regulations
EU-Reg. Bioland Demeter
Honey • According to the
EU honey
standards
• No residues from
chemotherapeutic
drugs
• No heating
< 40°C
• Water content
max. 18%
• HMF max. 10
mg/kg
• Invertase min.
10 U/kg
• Storage in
foodsave
material
• No heating
< 35°C
• Water content
max. 18%
• HMF max. 10
mg/kg
• Invertase min. 10
U/kg
• Honey should be
stored before first
cristallisation
43 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
EU-Reg. Bioland Demeter
Control • Min. once a
year
• Documentation
required
• Min. once a year
• Detailed
documentation
required: Apiary,
honey yield,
honey sale,
Varroa
treatment,
residue analysis
etc.
• Min. once a year
• Detailed
documentation
required: Apiary,
honey yield,
honey sale,
Varroa
treatment,
residue analysis
etc.
Additional
note
“Honey bees might
also forage on non-
organic fields”
“Honey bees might
also forage on non-
organic fields”
Organic organisations vs. EU regulations
44 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Summary
• So far, the number of organic beekeeper enterprises in Central Europe
• The difference towards conventional beekeeping is lower compared to other livestock
• In Germany, it is difficult to cover the costs for organic production with the price for organic honey.
• In Latin America organic production for the export is more value-adding.
• The main problems for the regulations are “control” of foraging (flight range), treatments of pathogens, feeding and the prevention of the contamination of bees wax.
• Animal welfare might be of minor significance.
45 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Do Honey Bees become extinct?
„Bienensterben“
„CCD“ (Colony Collapse Disorder)
Pesticides („Neonicotinoides“)
46 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
FAO Database (1961 – 2008)
Country 1961 2008
Germany 1.997.000 900.000
USA 5.514.000 2.400.000
Austria 466.619 298.000
Albania 95.100 171.000
Greece 680.000 1.315.000
Argentina 650.000 2.970.000
Brazil 310.000 850.000
Uruguay 54.548 620.000
47 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
1. Since about 10 years, The Neonicotinoids are blamed to be a major
reason for the decline of honey bee colonies and mortality
2. Two weeks ago (April 2013) the EU decided to suspend the
registration of 3 Neonicotinoides that are toxic to bees from all crops
that are visited by bees.
The discussion on Neonicotinoids
48 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
1. At the end of the last century the companies were faced to increasing
problems and restrictions on the “classical” insecticides (Carbamates,
Organophosphates) pressure on development of new insecticides
2. Start in 1991 with Imidacloprid (Bayer CS).
3. “First generation” of neonicotinoids: Imidacloprid, Thiacloprid (both
Bayer CS) Nitenpyram (Takeda), Acetamiprid (Nippon Soda) (1996).
4. “Second generation” of neonicotinoids Thiamethoxam (Syngenta
1998), Clothianidin (Takeda/Bayer 2002).
5. Most important insecticides worldwide with enormous economic
value: Imidacloprid is distributed in more than 120 countries.
6. In 2006 worldwide annual sales of neonicotinoids accounted for 1.56
billion US$ (Jeschke and Nauen 2008).
„History“ of Neonicotinoids
49 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Gina Tanner (2010) Development of a Method for the Analysis of Neonicotinoid Insecticide Residues in Honey using LC-
MS/MS and Investigations of Neonicotinoid Insecticides in Matrices of Importance in Apiculture. Diploma Thesis Univ. Vienna.
Chemical Structure of neonicotinoid Insecticides
50 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
1. Polar character systemic properties better protection of growing
plants against biting/ sucking insects
2. Longer persistent in target plants
3. Specificity to insects compared to mammals
4. High toxicity to target insects lower amount of active ingredient
needed
5. No cross-resistance of neonicotinoids to longer-established insecticide
classes (carbamates, organophosphates, synthetic pyrethroids)
1. Polar character availability of active substance in nectar
2. Some neonicotinoids have an extremely high toxicity to bees contact
of active substances with bees must be excluded
3. Longer persistent in target plants accumulation?
51 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Application of Neonicotinoids
52 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Three main aspects that drive the controversal
discussion on Neonicotionids
1. Extremely high toxicity to bees of some active substances
all sources of contamination have to be excluded
2. A assumed correlation of honey bee colony collapse and
the use of Neonicotinoids in sunflower in France 10 years
ago (Imidacloprid: Goucho)
3. Honey bee damages in the Rhine valley in spring 2008
53 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Differences in toxicity of Neonicotinoides
to Honey Bees
Honeybees - Acute 48 hour LD50 (μg bee-1)
Imidacloprid 0.0037 oral very high
Thiacloprid 17.32 oral moderate
54 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Recent example: Bee death in the Rhine valley in spring 2008
Greatest documented Bee disaster in the German history
12.000 colonies of ~ 800 Beekeeper damaged!
Clothianidin-dressed maize seed was distributed by dust to blooming fields
55 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Different possibilities how honey bees come into
contact with neoticotionoids
Direct contamination
Guttation (systemic/ water) Dust from dressed seed during sawing
Systemic (pollen/nectar) contamination
56 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Different possibilities how honey bees come into
contact with neoticotionoids
However, within the “German Bee Monitoring” (DEBIMO) we
analyzed since 2005 more than 950 samples of bee bread
only in 6 samples we detected traces of (1–3 µg/kg)
Neonicotionoides with high bee toxicity.
57 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
It is an EU-wide regulation
It will calm down the emotional discussion
It will give some time for further research (including wild bees) and
discussion between beekeeper and farmers
It will sensitize politicians (and farmers?)
It will presumably not decrease the winter losses of honey bee
colonies
It will focus to much on pesticides (and even a single group)
Effect of the suspension of the registration of 3 Neonicotinoids?
58 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Still the major problem for honey bee health: Monoculture and intensive agriculture
59 Peter Rosenkranz; Organic Beekeeping SS 2013
Thank you