Giving Beekeeping Guidance by cOmputatiOnal-assisted Decision making

Project partners and multi-actor forum members of the B-GOOD project met up between 27 and 29 June 2022 in Soesterberg, the Netherlands. The three-day event was hosted by project partner BEEP and entailed informative presentations, in-depth discussions, workshops, as well as an overview of the projects’ developments and expected outcomes. The first day invited 16 beekeepers to share their experiences, while days 2 & 3 were dedicated to internal project meetings. A special hybrid...

In the fifth episode of the progress video series, project coordinator Prof. Dirk de Graaf discusses B-GOOD's socio-economic component. Dirk gives an overview of the SWOT Analysis of the EU beekeeping sector, used to formulate 18 points of attention for policy and strategic developments, and explains the importance of B-GOOD's multi-actor approach. Watch the video here to find out more about how B-GOOD expands the knowledge on beekeeping practice. Don't forget to subscribe...

Over the last few decades, honey bee colonies have shown abnormal mortality rates. Landscape changes due to human pressure and pesticide use in modern agriculture and even forestry are some of the leading causes of colony losses. In a new study ("Exposure and risk assessment of acetamiprid in honey bee colonies under a real exposure scenario in Eucalyptus sp. landscapes") published in the Science of The Total Environment journal, B-GOOD partners from University of Coimbra &...

Photo: Honeybee on a flower. Credit: Canva B-GOOD’s long-term objective is to pave the way towards healthy and sustainable beekeeping within the European Union by providing guidance for beekeepers and helping them make better and more informed decisions. Successful communication, knowledge transfer, and dissemination of project updates and results are among the factors that contribute to this goal.  The first set of practice abstracts was prepared and published on the...

On March 26th 2022, B-GOOD held the yearly spring meeting for The Central Association of Bee-Keepers (CABK) Association members. Beekeepers, scientists, and researchers gathered together in Nottingham, UK, to familiarise themselves with the different tools developed by B-GOOD and see them in action. Photo: The participants at the CABK spring meeting during a demonstration of the B-GOOD technologies The workshop started with a tour of the UK B-GOOD mini-apiary, at Holme Pierrepont...

On 20 May 2022, in honour of World Bee Day, the EUobserver published an opinion piece on the conservation efforts EU needs to make to save its bees. The increasing threat pollinators are under could have a huge impact on our food consumption, since bees and other insects are responsible for pollinating one-third of the everyday food we eat. The article called attention to the responsibility European countries have to protect the global populations of threatened wild bee species, high proportion...

In the fourth episode of the progress video series, project coordinator Prof. Dirk de Graaf gives an overview of the methodology of flower resource mapping. Dirk also talks about the development of dynamic landscape models that capture the most important flower resources and the integration of these models into the ApisRAM model. Watch the video here to find out more about how B-GOOD expands the knowledge on beekeeping practice.  Don't forget to subscribe to B-GOOD's...

The B-GOOD annual newsletter had its third issue published to accommodate news about our recent progress, where new publications, technology development & special B-GOOD updates were showcased. Don't forget to check out the special B-GOOD mini newsletter, available in several EU languages! Find out more in the newsletter, and don't miss to SUBSCRIBE for our next

In early spring 2022 two training sessions took place within the B-GOOD project to foster the exploitation of the project’s results.As training courses enable knowledge exchange, they are key for ensuring the achievements of B-GOOD objectives. With this in mind, the two events engaged diverse stakeholders involved in the project and ensured a broader exploitation of the project's results. The online training school for B-GOOD stakeholders took place in the evening of Thursday 24th...

B-GOOD wishes you a happy and memorable Easter!

The B-GOOD project was recently featured in the Flemish beekeepers magazine "Maandblad van de Vlaamse Imkersbond" focused solely on the interests of those involved in professional beekeeping. B-GOOD’s story was featured in the magazine’s April 2022 edition (108 volume, no.3). In the report titled "First B-GOOD reviewing period (Part 1)",  B-GOOD’s project coordinator Prof. Dirk de Graaf of Ghent University showcases the progress made by B-GOOD...

A data paper recently published in the "Ecology" journal puts forward the first ever database compiling information on phenology and production of pollen, nectar, and sugar in 1612 plant species (755 genera, 133 families). The paper called "Phenology and production of pollen, nectar, and sugar in 1612 plant species from various environments" presents a unique database that provides an opportunity to test hypotheses related to the functioning of food webs, nutrient cycling,...

In an effort to increase the project’s visibility and improve the dissemination of all publicly available project outputs, B-GOOD has recently launched an open research collection in the Research Ideas and Outcomes (RIO) journal. The B-GOOD Project Outcomes collection in RIO aims to broaden the outreach of project results by publishing not only standard scientific articles, but also other pieces, covering the entire research cycle in a comprehensive manner. The collection  will...

On February 22nd 2022, BEEP held a community event for BEEP users. Eight presenters gave a short presentation for the 120 participants across the globe. Marten Schoonman (BEEP) started with an overview of the BEEP app, base and plans for the future. Frank Linton (Colonymonitoring.com) followed with an overview and update on hive monitoring developments. Zeynep Ülgezen (Wageningen University & Research) presented the B-GOOD honeybee research WUR's role in it. Diren Senger...

In October, Professor Dr. Daniel S. Dezmirean from University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca visited The Beekeepers Association of the Republic of Moldova (Chisinau, Moldova) for a workshop with the theme  ̋Smart devices used in sustainable beekeeping" as part of the B-GOOD project. Photo: Participants at the "Smart devices used in sustainable beekeeping" workshop In November, within the same workshop, several representatives...

In the third part of the progress video series, Prof. Dirk de Graaf presents other innovative tools which B-GOOD has developed to further expand the data collection in the final years of the project. For example, the placing of accelerometers in 3 mini apiaries which constantly measured the vibrations on the combs. In addition, the researchers at B-GOOD have found a way to measure gas composition inside the hive. They embedded suitable gas sensors in the wax foundations for measurements....

Successful bee research and practice requires a sound understanding of the biology of these creatures, coupled with a general knowledge of factors threatening their health worldwide. We invite you to explore these topics with the help of researchers from our project! This course will cover different aspects of honey bee’s fundamental biology, such as their ecology and evolution. Additionally, a virtual overview of various beekeeping practices will be given to introduce students to the...

The new B-GOOD video provides an update of our recent progress, this time focusing on data collection and the BEEP base and app. In the video, you can see B-GOOD's coordinator Prof. Dirk de Graaf talking about the development of the health status index for bees. He explains that the collection of Big Data is happening over the course of 3 consecutive years and makes a review of each one. Dirk also gives an overview of the BEEP base and app, which are the key tools for the data...

The importance of bees for our survival is evident, which is why the Bulgarians, who have a centuries-old honey history, honour beekeepers, honey, and bees on February 10th. Beekeeping is a traditional Bulgarian activity practised in all regions of the country. There are records from chroniclers and travellers that witnessed that beekeeping existed in Bulgarian areas even before the founding of the Bulgarian state in the Balkans in 681. Before the Proto-Bulgarians arrived from the Middle...

With the start of the new year, the good news for B-GOOD starts as well! The project was recently featured in the "Bee Farmer Magazine" - the magazine of the Bee Farmers’ Association and the only United Kingdom publication focused solely on the interests of those involved in professional beekeeping. B-GOOD’s story was featured in the magazine’s December 2020 edition (volume 7, issue 6).  Photo: Cover of the Bee Farmer magazine (left) & article about...