RT Journal Article
T1 Biodiversity, conservation and current threats to European honeybees
A1 De la Rúa, Pilar
A1 Jaffé, Rodolfo
A1 Dall'Olio, Raffaele
A1 Muñoz Gabaldón, Irene
A1 Serrano, José
AB Europe harbours several endemic honeybee (Apis mellifera) subspecies. Yet the distribution of these subspecies is nowadays also much influenced by beekeeping activities. Large scale migratory beekeeping and trade in queens, coupled with the promiscuous mating system of honeybees, have exposed native European honeybees to increasing introgressive hybridization with managed non-native subspecies, which may lead to the loss of valuable combinations of traits shaped by natural selection. Other threats to European honeybees are factors that have caused a progressive decline in A. mellifera throughout the world in recent years, leading to large economic losses and jeopardizing ecosystem functioning. We review the biodiversity of European honeybees and summarize the management and conservation strategies employed by different countries. A comprehensive picture of the beekeeping industry in Europe is also provided. Finally we evaluate the potential threats affecting the biodiversity of European honeybee populations and provide some perspectives for future research.
PB Springer
SN 0044-8435
YR 2009
FD 2009
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/97898
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/97898
LA eng
NO De la Rúa, P., Jaffé, R., Dall’Olio, R. et al. Biodiversity, conservation and current threats to European honeybees. Apidologie 40, 263–284 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1051/apido/2009027
NO BEESHOP European network
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 6 abr 2025