Giving Beekeeping Guidance by cOmputatiOnal-assisted Decision making

EcoStack’s second annual meeting took place between 22-23 September 2020. The H2020 project aims to develop and support ecologically, economically and socially sustainable crop production via stacking and protection of functional biodiversity. One topic of discussion during the meeting was the Animal, Landscape and Man Simulation System (ALMaSS) agent-based model system. ALMaSS models different animal species as individuals (agents), which move around inside a virtual landscape to...

A new video from the B-GOOD video series featuring experts working on the project was published on The B-GOOD project’s Youtube channel. The second video features experts from four research institutions who share their work within B-GOOD. Coby van Dooremalen, Wageningen University and Research, elaborates on the collecting of data on the bee health status index (HSI) components by using a 3-tiered approach. "Honeybees are extremely sensitive to vibrations. For that reason,...

The B-GOOD project is part of the final report of EIP-AGRI’s Focus Group on bee health and sustainable beekeeping. Experts from the Agricultural European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI) Focus Group have explored the question how can the sustainability of beekeeping be ensured in the face of challenges linked to pests and diseases, intensification of agriculture and climate change. Photo: The cover of the final report The report came out on 8 September 2020 and addresses...

Photo: Honey bees and a honeycomb Earlier in June, B-GOOD was featured in an article of the Portuguese "JN Magazine". The column titled "The first days of intelligent beehives" highlights the project’s aim of a more sustainable and informed beekeeping and discusses the development of the BEEP technology: the digital checklist app where a beekeeper can register their inspections & the automatic bee measurement system that beekeepers can place under the...

Photo: B-GOOD apiary near Peso da Régua This beautiful montage from the B-GOOD apiary near Peso da Régua captures the steps and procedures B-GOOD researchers go through when they open a colony on a regular visit. Featuring Nuno Capela and Sandra Simões from the University of Coimbra, the video shows step by step how to dismantle the beehive, inspect the colony and reassemble the hive. It also highlights the equipment used in an investigation apiary, such as...

In an effort to provide a safe environment for all project partners and stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic, the second B-GOOD annual consortium meeting took place online. Project members and representatives of the B-GOOD multi-actor forum prepared their cameras and headsets and went online on 6 & 7 July 2020. Despite the exhausting nature of the telecom, the two-day long online meeting was dominated by insightful presentations, vivid discussions and an overview of the...

This update on the progress of the BEEP base was provided by April van Delden. On the 16th of March, the Dutch government announced that everybody should stay home as much as possible to limit the outbreak of COVID-19. Since then, the BEEP team has been working mostly from home. However, an occasional visit to the office is necessary to pick up some tools or BEEP bases to work on. To make sure we don’t forget what the other people look like we have a Skype meeting twice a week. In...

Photo: Mang Xu demonstrating how to use neonicotinoid lateral flow devices One of the current tasks of Wageningen University and Research within B-GOOD is the development and application of lateral flow devices. Featuring Mang Xu of Wageningen Food Safety Research, this introduction video demonstrates how to use neonicotinoid lateral flow devices (LFDs), which were developed by Zhejiang University and exclusively provided to B-GOOD. The LFD is a device that allows scientists to...

Improving science communication and contributing to the increase of scientific literacy of the general public are two important aspects when raising public awareness of science. These aspects are also the main objectives of the Portuguese radio programme "90 Seconds of Science". The broadcast features scientists talking about their research work and projects, with the objective of showcasing the science made in Portugal. Earlier in March, B-GOOD was part of "90 Seconds of...

Photo: Prof. Dirk de Graaf We launch a new series of videos featuring experts working on the project, in order to provide a clear overview of the project, B-GOOD’s objectives, methodology and progress. In the first video, B-GOOD’s coordinator Prof. Dirk de Graaf gets in front of the camera and talks about the project action plan and expected outputs. "[B-GOOD] tackles two very important questions, one is on the health and sustainability", says Dirk in the opening...

Nottingham Trent University are seeking a candidate to work as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow as part of a multidisciplinary team in support of research funded by the EU under project grant B-GOOD. The successful candidate will underpin fundamental research into honey bee health and the automated monitoring of hives. The role will involve working in close collaboration with, including possibly spending short periods of time at, consortium research organisations in Europe. This is an...

This update on the progress of the BEEP base was provided by April van Delden. Wednesday the 28th of January, Stephan Peterse of the BEEP team sealed the boxes. What started off with piles of components for the BEEP base - steel, sensors, PCBs, screws, boxes - resulted in the production of 89 BEEP bases. The joined effort of the WUR and BEEP made this possible. Thanks to everybody for the good work in our assembly room. The first eight BEEP bases have already been taken to Wageningen...

Photo: Dana Freshley representing the B-GOOD project at the 2019 BEES Christmas Market The B-GOOD project was represented at the 2019 BEES Christmas Market, which took place on 20 December in Brussels, Belgium. The scientific networking Christmas-themed event was hosted by the Belgian Biodiversity Platform and with the Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek (INBO) and united scientific experts, policy makers, stakeholders and practitioners. Central objectives and questions The...

B-GOOD wishes you a very happy holiday season and a joyful and prosperous New

Photo: Consortium members at the First General Assembly Meeting The first B-GOOD project assembly meeting took place between 2 and 3 December 2019. The meeting was hosted by the University of Coimbra, Portugal, and discussed the progress achieved on the project so far. The beginning of the event was marked by presentations discussing the advances in the B-GOOD work packages. Furthermore, discussions on the mini apiaries setup were undertaken: these apiaries are test sites where the...

Photo: Viktoria Nikolova at the International Fair of apiculture products in Varna, 2019 The B-GOOD project was presented at the International Fair of apiculture products Varna 2019 that took place between 17 and 19 September 2019 in Varna, Bulgaria. More than 100 beekeepers and representatives of beekeeping associations from Moldova, Romania, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Ukraine were welcomed.  The manager of Varna’s district information point Viktoria Nikolova introduced the...

BEEP successfully reached its crowdfunding goal for the BEEP base only nine days after launching their campaign on the Kickstarter platform. The proposed open-source beehive scale, measuring weight, sound and temperature, was created by the beekeeper and engineer Marten Schoonman and product developer Pim van Gennip. Beekeepers can monitor their bees through the accompanying BEEP app that shows the measurement data from the BEEP base. This real-time information enables them to make timely and...

Nottingham Trent University are seeking a candidate to work as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow as part of a multidisciplinary team in support of research funded by the EU under project grant B-GOOD. The successful candidate will underpin fundamental research into honey bee health and the automated monitoring of hives. Full job offer & application process here: https://vacancies.ntu.ac.uk/displayjob.aspx?jobid=7168  Merging data from within and around beehives as well as...

The University of Coimbra opens a tender to award a fellow scholarship under the B-GOOD project, with the following characteristics: 1) Participate in data gathering on pollen and nectar production by dominant plant species and on phenological patterns according to the bibliography and databases of existing plant characteristics.2) Contribute to phytosociological information on landscape elements mapped for Europe, identifying keystone species important for bees, and to the characterization...

The H2020 project B-GOOD was part of the 10th World Conference of the Ecosystem Services Partnership that took place in Hannover, Germany. The event welcomed about 800 participants from 65 countries. By bringing together researchers, policymakers and practitioners, the conference aim was to implement best practices for managing ecosystem services and maintain and enhance the related science, policy and practical application. Additional focus was put into topics of conservation and...