Analysis of the greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption in beekeeping: what are the sensitivity factors?

We calculate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption of two French beekeeping systems, one amateur system (Amat) and one professional system (Pro) with 300 hives. The GHG emissions reach 2.7 kgCO 2 eq/kg of honey for Amat and 1.49 for Pro. Travel to visit the apiaries accounted for 59% of the total GHG emissions for Amat and 28% for Pro, and sugar accounted for 21% and 41%, respectively. The energy consumption reached 37.4 MJ/kg for Amat and 19.9 MJ/kg for Pro; travel represented 65% of energy consumption for Amat and 34% for Pro, and sugar accounted for 15% and 32%, respectively. The sensitivity analysis revealed that the most important factor influencing GHG emissions was the bee mortality rate, followed by the distances covered by vehicles and the level of sugar use. The average energy consumption per kg of dry matter produced between Amat and Pro is close to that observed for French dairy cattle production. The GHG emissions are well below those of dairy production, by factors of 3.7 and 6.6 for Amat and Pro, respectively. Finally, we make the following recommendations to improve the environmental performance of beekeeping farms, in terms of GHG emissions and energy consumption, in the French context but a priori also in other contexts i) maintain efforts to identify and reduce causes of bee mortality; ii) limiting distances traveled and using low-energy, low-carbon vehicles; and iii) using well-insulated hives. We also provide the GHG emission and energy consumption factors for the artificial swarms purchased.