Adapting Beekeeping to Changing Landscapes and Climate: Strategies for Resilience

Alberto Fiorese ()
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Alberto Fiorese: Venice School of Management, Caoscari University of Venice

No 15, Working Papers from Venice School of Management - Department of Management, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia

Abstract: The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is the most economically valuable pollinator worldwide. In this research note, we review current knowledge on honey bee biology, ecology, and the main drivers of colony decline. Furthermore, given the key role of management strategies in maintaining colony health, we analysed differences in performance between nomadic vs stationary hives using a six-year dataset (2019-2024) that included internal hive temperature, relative humidity and weight. As a generalist and polylectic species, the honey bee contributes to the pollination of a wide variety of wild flowering plants, and agricultural crops. In addition to their role in pollination, honeybee colonies produce valuable natural products such as honey, propolis, and wax. Beekeeping also represents a cornerstone of rural economies, supporting food production and preserving beekeeping traditions passed down through generations. The global decline of honey bee results from the synergistic interplay of several factors, including land use change and associated habitat loss, climate change, pesticide exposure, the spread of invasive alien species and pathogens, and the intensification of beekeeping. The success and resilience of beekeeping are strongly influenced by management practices, that affect both productivity and colony health. Among these, migratory or nomadic beekeeping, the seasonal relocation of colonies to follow successive flowering periods, represents one of the oldest and most adaptive strategies in apicultural history. According to our dataset, an average of 45% of colonies recorded more than one geographic coordinate per year and were therefore classified as nomadic. With the sole exception of maximum hive weight in 2024, likely due to the smaller sample size that year, significant differences were consistently observed between nomadic and stationary hives. Specifically, the number of temperature and relative humidity anomalies was consistently lower in nomadic hives, whereas both maximum and minimum hive weights were higher compared with stationary colonies. Our findings indicate that nomadic hives experience reduced environmental stress, supporting the idea that nomadism is a traditional yet effective management strategy for addressing the challenges of changing landscapes and climate in modern beekeeping. Nonetheless, the frequent movement of colonies may increase exposure to stress factors and facilitate the spread of diseases and parasites among apiaries; therefore, its implementation should be guided by careful monitoring and sound planning.

Pages: 25 pages
Date: 2025-11
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