Funding of 6.3 million euros for advanced apicultural technologies

Life for bees is far from easy in the current climate. The University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (USAMV) in Cluj-Napoca is a partner in a project with funding of 6.3 million euros for the adaptation of advanced apicultural technologies. According to USAMV:

"The University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (USAMV) Cluj-Napoca, through the Faculty of Zootechnics and Biotechnology, the Discipline of Apiculture and Sericulture, is part of the European consortium of the Better-B Project, whose main objective is the restoration, harmonization, and physiological balance of bee colonies. The consortium consists of 18 partners from 14 countries, and the coordinator is Prof. Dr. Dirk de Graaf from Ghent University (Belgium), who was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by USAMV Cluj-Napoca in 2021. The Better-B Project is funded with 6.3 million euros from the EU, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, and the research is dedicated to improving apicultural technology, resistance to abiotic stress, climate change, habitat loss, and the impact of hazardous chemicals." The main theme concerns bee colonies, which are often poorly adapted to cope with external stressors such as climate change, pesticides, challenges, and parasitic attacks, exacerbated by modern apicultural practices. Experts within the project emphasize that the resilience of apiculture is primarily supported by harnessing the power of nature, restoring harmony and balance, both at the level of the individual bee and at the colony level or between the colony and its environment. Prof. Dr. Daniel Dezmirean, Dean of the Faculty of Zootechnics and Biotechnology and responsible for the implementation of the Better-B Project on behalf of USAMV Cluj-Napoca, stated: "The Better-B Consortium sees the path to harmony and balance represented by Darwinian colonies: abandoned or wild colonies that have survived in the wild or have been selected based on resistance traits. However, such colonies are usually lacking in breeding stocks and many other favorable characteristics important for modern apiculture. Our solution is to understand the processes and mechanisms selected in nature in order to adapt modern apicultural practices to advanced apicultural technologies. This is the Better-B Project."

According to the source, the implementation of this new approach to beekeeping management will be undertaken in close collaboration with Romanian beekeepers as stakeholders. The experts within the project believe that harmony and balance must occur on three levels - the environment, honeybees, and beekeeping practices, all of which will be addressed within the four-year Better-B Project.