MEDIBEES

The native #subspecies from Sicily, 𝘈𝘱𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘢 #𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢, is one of the two "island subspecies" we study in the #MEDIBEES project. On islands, it's easier to explain how subspecies could evolve: They're populations of the same species that are separated and isolated from each other. By this, they evolve distinct adaptations to their environment. In case of islands, it's the sea to separate the populations. Even if it's the narrow Strait of Messina - that's enough! In case of 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢, the difference is clearly visible: They're much darker than the yellow #𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢! Islands, though, also mean smaller populations, which increases the risk of extinction. For instance, because beekeepers think ligustica is "better" and introduce her to their island. Thus losing the specific adaptations which also help them to deal with #climatechange. (And by the way, no subspecies is better than the other. The best for sustainable beekeeping is always the best adapted to the local conditions.)

Honey is the most important hive product, also in the countries participating in #MEDIBEES. Therefore, valorizing honey properly is one of the most important aims of our project. In many workshops, our partners trained #beekeepers and consumers on how to differentiate the different types of honey. Especially for consumers, this means more awareness about the value of honey. More behind the scenes, but equally important, we want to develop a Geographical Protected Origin label for the different partner countries. Also this means a higher valorisation of honey which catches the taste of a region. For this, samples from all partner countries were collected. These differ in taste, colour, and other characteristics - because the climate and flora is different. These samples went through all types of analysis: chemical composition and properties, botanical origin, nutritive value... All this to make clear what high-quality product we have in our hands with a jar of honey.

Sometimes bees build at the bottom of the frames, or decide that a gap could be filled with a naturally build comb. Usually, these are combs that beekeepers take away as it gets more difficult to work with them. Or there are old combs that have to be exchanged with foundations. When melting down this wax, we end up with remains of the moulting of the brood that was in there. This was usually waste. But in #MEDIBEES we wanted to see if there's any use of these #byproducts for agriculture. This would contribute to circular economy and mean an additional source of income for beekeepers. For this, the #CIAPA analysed the nutrient content of these debris and how it's best maintained. The first results are very promising. At the moment, Dr. @Antonio Lopez-Perez is analying the optimal doses and effects on soil biology. Hopefully, we'll report more on this soon!

You can only protect what you know. For the Mediterranean, we have a huge knowledge gap on the state of conservation of the regional #subspecies. This is why in #MEDIBEES we're sequencing hundreds of samples from the region. Carlos has dissected hundreds of workers to reach the goal of having at least 10 whole-genome sequences from each of the 10 subspecies we're working with. This repetetive work of dissecting bees is the foundation for then identify the specific genetic sequences that are responsible for the adaptations these subspecies show (so-called SNPs). With that, we'll develop chips that allow a high throughput of samples with a high precision in identifying the subspecies. This then is the foundation for #breeding programs and directed selection for their conservation.

In #Lebanon, summer time is hot and dry, which means #heatstress for honey bee colonies. The local subspecies, #syriaca, adapted their colony development to this. After a period of drought, the #queens stop laying eggs. This happens regularly in September, so at this time, the colonies look quite weak. This is an adaptation to the low resources in this period - the colonies don't have enough to raise the brood. However, last week the flowering of 𝘐𝘯𝘶𝘭𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘢 (sticky fleabean) began - helping the colonies to build up some strength again before the winter. The colonies you see here, are in the coastal area. Up on the mountains, the colonies already have more resources and look stronger already. Here, our partner Chadi HOSRI is applying #Apistrips to the colonies - a device that measures the exposure to pesticides. More on that on Monday. As you see, specific adaptations to regional conditions are a feature of native #subspecies - and help to deal with #stressors from #globalwarming. #MEDIBEES

In #MEDIBEES, we want to know how the different honey bee #subspecies of the region react to #stressors like extreme heat or drought - and if these reactions are specific adaptations which are genetically fixed. The genetic differences between the subspecies, however, are only the first step. Genetic information has to be "read and expressed", i.e. result in a phenotype ("visible trait", to put it in very short). This can be observed by #transcriptomics, which measures the activity of certain genes. We're paying special attention to the genes related to #stressresponses, like those encoding heat shock proteins (#HSP). Here, Giovanni Cilia from CREA Ricerca and Dora Henriquez from @Centro de Investigacao de Montanha are preparing the samples to do the analyses.

Floods and extreme heat are two sides of the same coin. At #MEDIBEES we're engaged in finding measures to mitigate the consequences of these events - together with our colleagues from BEEGUARD and other projects.

The botanical origin of honey is an important information - but often not totally known for the Mediterranean area. In addition to the more "traditional" method of pollen analysis, our colleagues at Centro de Investigação de Montanha are working on honey authentificaiton by metabarcoding. This method allows to determine both the botanical and entomological origin - so also the honey bee #subspecies that produced the honey. This will help beekeepers to market their honey as a regional product. In addition, it's also a good weapon against honey falsification, which is an increasing issue. Here, Monica Honrado is presenting at the Portuguese Food Chemistry Congress (XVII Encontro de Química dos Alimentos, 9-11 October, Vila Real, Portugal).  #MEDIBEES

Following up on this week's theme of different colony development in different #honeybee #subspecies, here an example for special adaptations for the #Mediterranean. In Sicily, we have the endemic subspecies 𝘈𝘱𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢. When compared to #ligustica, #siciliana produced more bees with less brood and also had a better honey harvest. This is due to the different colony development: ligustica colonies have a "hibernation program", as mentioned on Monday's post. Siciliana, on the other hand, had stronger colonies in the winter months. By this, these colonies could use the flowering of some important honey crops like loquat - while ligustica colonies didn't care. #MEDIBEES

When it comes to colony development over the season, #ligustica from northern Italy and #iberiensis from central Spain were most similar when observed at the apiaries at Marchamalo (#CIAPA). In both cases, the colonies declined in strength in autumn, preparing for winter. However, at the conditions in central Spain, the native #iberiensis bees showed a more "economical" development: For arriving the same number of adult bees, they raised less brood than the #ligustica colonies at the same conditions. This means that ligustica colonies raised more brood which finally never hatched as adult worker bees. This is more than a numbers game: In the end, raising brood needs a lot of resources (nutrition, brood care, etc.). More brood which finally doesn't hatch are additional "costs" for the colonies. In times of abundant resources, this may not be important. But in times of decreasing resources, like due to #climatechange, such "wasteful" behaviour is a disadvantage. #MEDIBEES #MEDIBEES