Modern environmentally sustainable beekeeping

This course focuses on acquiring skills in modern beekeeping with focuse on environmental sustainability. Contemporary beekeeping is heavily reliant on synthetic acaricides, the consumption of which is constantly increasing due to the ubiquitous Varroa destructor mite, which poses the greatest threat to beekeepers. These pesticides are often very stable, leave residues, and accumulate in the environment (in the hive environment, especially in honey, wax, pollen, and propolis), thereby having a chronic effect on non-target organisms, especially bee brood and young bees, but also other beneficial insects in the landscape and, last but not least, through bee products, on humans. Another problem arises with the increasingly frequent resistance of mites to commonly applied pesticides, which are exposed to these low residual concentrations (e.g., residues stored in wax combs). As a result, the amount of substances applied to hives increases. This leads to the accumulation of these substances in the wax and its degradation. Contamination cannot be removed even when processing wax, e.g., into foundation sheets, which are returned to the hive and have a negative effect on bees and bee brood. For this reason, it is highly desirable to include a closed wax cycle. This will ensure complete control over the purity of the wax, as most wax is contaminated with synthetic acaricides, especially wax imported from abroad.

Ladislava Voláková
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