MONITORING WILD POLLINATORS IN SERBIA USING CITIZEN SCIENCE PRINCIPLES

As part of the two-year citizen science project “Bee is a Key,” the first phase of “wild” pollinator biomonitoring was conducted using bee hotels made of reed stems to attract native solitary bees. Over 100 hotels were distributed to schools, fruit growers, beekeepers, protected areas, and interested citizens across 26 districts in Serbia. Preliminary results show that more than 70% of the hotels were inhabited by at least one pollinator species, with detailed taxonomic analysis planned for the autumn. In addition, an online survey (with 91 respondents: 41.8% professionals and 58.2% amateur producers) assessed the use of managed pollinator use in fruit production. The current survey results show a noticeable trend in the last period of decreasing pollinator diversity, which has led to poor fruit pollination. Also, over 44% of fruit growers use managed pollinators, of which 80% are honey bees and 15% mason bees. The answers indicate that fruit yield is noticeably better (in terms of amount and fruit quality) by between 10% and over 50% when using pollinators. Some of the challenges related to the honey bee include pesticides and low temperatures during the early fruit blooming. On the other hand, mason bees offer an advantages of being more efficient pollinators of fruit crops, easier to breed, more active during colder weather and not exhibiting aggressive behavior. About 40% of respondents expressed interest in subsidized pollination services, and almost all responses were affirmative regarding their interest in learning more about controlled pollination in their orchards.