From knowledge to healthy colonies: global trends in beekeeper information sources and their usage

Minimising honey bee colony losses requires healthy colonies. An important contributor to maintaining good colony health and vitality is effective colony management, but individual beekeepers vary greatly in their knowledge and application of optimal management practices. Beekeepers become knowledgeable through the acquisition of reliable information, but whilst there are many available information sources for the beekeepers, these vary greatly in quality. The COLOSS B-RAP (Bridging Research and Practice) group, a Core Project of the COLOSS (prevention of honey bee COlony LOSSes) honey bee research association, studies the means for the effective transfer of the latest beekeeping knowledge from scientists and extension workers to practising beekeepers. A purpose-designed questionnaire was used in an international online survey, translated and published by volunteer national coordinators, to collect data on the information sources preferred and most used by the beekeepers, in order to understand the best means for communication and beekeeping education. The study covered 71 countries and received 11,351 responses, mainly from Europe, Asia, North America and Latin America. It was found that knowledge acquisition differed significantly according to various beekeeper characteristics, with the most influential factors being continent, beekeeper age, beekeeping experience and beekeeping education. The results demonstrate the necessity for researchers and beekeeping advisors to diversify their usage of information channels so that a majority of the beekeeping community can access important new bee research results.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Apicultural Research
Published
2026-04-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2026.2635698
Primary Topic
Insect and Pesticide Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

From knowledge to healthy colonies: global trends in beekeeper information sources and their usage

Lotta Fabricius Kristiansen, Constantin Dobrescu, Geoffrey R. Williams, Jean‐Daniel Charrière et al.
Journal of Apicultural Research
Insect and Pesticide Research
article

From knowledge to healthy colonies: global trends in beekeeper information sources and their usage

Lotta Fabricius Kristiansen, Constantin Dobrescu, Geoffrey R. Williams, Jean‐Daniel Charrière, Maritta Martikkala, Asli Özkırım, Preben Kristiansen, Anthony P. Williams, Alireza Arab, Ewa Mazur, Linde Morawetz, Patricia Aldea-Sánchez, Jiří Danihlík, B. Cornelissen, Alexis Ballis, Panuwan Chantawannakul, Fani Hatjina, Rod Scarlett, Robert Brodschneider, M. Fedoriak, Ming‐Cheng Wu, Flemming Vejsnæs, Norman Carreck, Aivar Raudmets, Luis Cadahía, Róbert Chlebo, Myriam E. Widmann, Aleš Gregorc, Franco Mutinelli, Melanie Kirby, Ana Diéguez‐Antón, Valters Brusbārdis, Ellen Danneels, Alison Gray, Hlaing Min Oo, Johann Fischer, Tobias Dittman
article en

Abstract

Minimising honey bee colony losses requires healthy colonies. An important contributor to maintaining good colony health and vitality is effective colony management, but individual beekeepers vary greatly in their knowledge and application of optimal management practices. Beekeepers become knowledgeable through the acquisition of reliable information, but whilst there are many available information sources for the beekeepers, these vary greatly in quality. The COLOSS B-RAP (Bridging Research and Practice) group, a Core Project of the COLOSS (prevention of honey bee COlony LOSSes) honey bee research association, studies the means for the effective transfer of the latest beekeeping knowledge from scientists and extension workers to practising beekeepers. A purpose-designed questionnaire was used in an international online survey, translated and published by volunteer national coordinators, to collect data on the information sources preferred and most used by the beekeepers, in order to understand the best means for communication and beekeeping education. The study covered 71 countries and received 11,351 responses, mainly from Europe, Asia, North America and Latin America. It was found that knowledge acquisition differed significantly according to various beekeeper characteristics, with the most influential factors being continent, beekeeper age, beekeeping experience and beekeeping education. The results demonstrate the necessity for researchers and beekeeping advisors to diversify their usage of information channels so that a majority of the beekeeping community can access important new bee research results.

Journal of Apicultural Research
Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University (UA), University of Graz (AT), National Chung Hsing University (TW), Warsaw University of Life Sciences (PL), University of Strathclyde (GB), University of Tehran (IR), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SE), University of Maribor (SI), State Education and Research Institute for Viticulture and Pomology Weinsberg (DE), California State Beekeepers Association (US), Universidad SEK (CL), Canadian Wood Council (CA), Japan Association for Development of Community Medicine (JP), National Health Insurance Fund (RS), APR Technologies (Sweden) (SE), Aquatic Systems (United States) (US), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IT), Research Institute of Animal Husbandry (MN), Institute of Apiculture Research (CN), Bee Research Institute (CZ), Norwegian Beekeepers Association (NO), Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AT), Chiang Mai University (TH), Romanian Academy (RO), Universidade de Vigo (ES), Institute of American Indian Arts (US), Hacettepe University (TR), De Montfort University (GB), Palacký University Olomouc (CZ), Auburn University (US), Honeywell (United States) (US), Wageningen University & Research (NL)
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