EVENTS

To build this envisioned international coalition—and invite you into it—we offer regular online and occasional in-person events to bring us all together around the theme of free-living honey bees.

Symposia Series
During each quarterly symposium, guests dive into issues integral to Honey Bee Watch. This year features our work reclassifying wild Apis mellifera as Endangered in the EU, tree-beekeeping around the world, taking actionable steps towards free-living honey bee conservation, and an opportunity for you to "Ask the Experts." Speakers share their expertise and experiences, participate in a panel discussion, then answer your questions. Our symposia are open to all and free, but we kindly ask that you donate whatever you can to help us continue making the series accessible to everyone. 
To sign up, select which events you'd like to attend in this online registration form. Sessions will be recorded and videos sent to all registrants.

One-Off Events
Periodically we organize live events, whereby attendees can visit unique free-living bee sites, participate in hands-on workshops, and/or attend conferences and lectures. Stay tuned for more information.

Symposia Series

2026 SYMPOSIA SERIES
#1 — IUCN Red List: Wild Honey Bees Labeled Endangered in EU
Thursday, 19 March (17–19h CET // 16–18h GMT // 12–2pm EDT // 9–11am PDT)

Honey Bee Watch was invited by IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) and University of Mons (BE) to reassess the Red List status of wild honey bees in Europe. After two years, our Task Force concluded that Apis mellifera’s previous Data Deficient designation should be updated to Endangered in the European Union. Due to insufficient data for the rest of the continent, though, the species remains Data Deficient in pan-Europe, thus necessitating further research, especially in the Balkans, Baltic region, Scandinavia, and Western Russia. 

Three guests will delve into the ins and outs of the project: Denis Michez begins by introducing the Red List of Threatened Species. Arrigo Moro contextualizes the process, challenges, and reasoning behind our team’s reassessment. Benjamin Rutschmann discusses the research paper he co-authored with Patrick Kohl, which served as the basis for the Endangered classification. A panel discussion on the implications for conservation follows with all the other speakers, then an audience Q&A closes the event.

DENIS MICHEZ (speaker)
PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MONS, BE


Denis develops studies to globally understand bee diversity and conservation. His PhD background is in Systematics, and he has published several species’ descriptions and monographs. He coordinated IUCN’s recent assessment of more than 2,000 species of European bees, for which he served as Honey Bee Watch’s liaison during its reassessment of Apis mellifera. Denis now leads projects exploring how bee diversity evolved at population and upper taxonomic levels (i.e., species, families), in consideration of fossils, molecular phylogenies, phylogeography, and bee-plant chemical interactions. In collaboration with others, he is also developing research focused on emergent global threats like climate change and chemical pollution. ResearchGate profile
ARRIGO MORO (speaker) 
RESEARCHER, ISTITUTO ZOOPROFILATTICO SPERIMENTALE DELLE VENEZIE, IT


Arrigo is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and second-generation beekeeper with more than 15 years of professional experience. With his PhD, he focused on honey bee populations that survive Varroa destructor through natural selection. He subsequently pursued this interest via a post-doc at University of Galway, working on wild honey bee colonies in Ireland. A co-founder of Honey Bee Watch and its Science Director, he currently serves as a researcher at the National Reference Center for Beekeeping and Honey Bee Health in Italy (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie). IZSVe
BENJAMIN RUTSCHMANN (speaker) 
POST-DOC, AGROSCOPE, CH


Benjamin is a honey bee researcher and ecologist, with a special focus on wild-living colonies, their nesting sites, and forage resources. He received his PhD from the University of Würzburg in 2022, for research in this area. Together with Patrick Kohl, he published the first systematic survey of wild-living honey bee colonies in Europe, demonstrating that they still occur in Central European forests. Building on this, he has studied the life histories and survival of wild colonies in Germany, Spain, and Switzerland, to assess whether these populations are self-sustaining. He has also contributed to research projects across Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, including citizen science-based monitoring in Germany and Switzerland. More recently, he co-authored a framework to assess wild Apis mellifera populations in Europe, which helped inform their recent classification as an Endangered taxon in the EU for the IUCN Red List. Google Scholar profile
JOVANA BILA DUBAIĆ (panelist)
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE, RS


Jovana holds a PhD in Ecology and is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade. Her expertise is bee ecology, with a special focus on urban and agroecosystems. Over the last eight years, she has developed a strong research interest in wild honey bees and has led a study on free-living honey bees in Belgrade, Serbia. Her passion for science and biology extends beyond academia, as she actively engages with a wide audience through social media, public lectures, talks, scientific events, and workshops. Jovana serves as a Board member of Honey Bee Watch. Center for Bee Biology, Instagram
KEITH BROWNE (panelist)

Keith has studied the molecular ecology of the Western honey bee in Ireland since 2014. His research, particularly on free-living Apis mellifera, alongside his PhD supervisor Professor Grace McCormack’s and other members of the Galway Honey Bee Research Centre, helped instigate the Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill 2021 and contributed to the latest report on the IUCN Red List status of Apis mellifera in Europe. Previously serving as an Assistant Professor of Evolutionary Zoology at the University of Galway, Keith has recently left the university system; however, he maintains his interest in honey bees. GHBRC
GRACE MCCORMACK (panelist)
PROFESSOR, GALWAY HONEY BEE RESEARCH CENTRE, UNIVERSITY OF GALWAY, IE


Grace is a Professor in Zoology and leads the Galway Honey Bee Research Centre with a team of collaborators, PhD students, and post-docs. Her interests lie in evolutionary biology and, particularly, in using molecular data to understand how organisms are related to each other and the impacts this may have on conservation and the evolution of organismal traits. Grace has been beekeeping for 12 years and currently manages 15–30 colonies. She became interested in free-living colonies in 2015, and has been investigating their survival, diversity, and distribution ever since. She is interested in both the conservation of Apis mellifera mellifera and the resilience of untreated bees to Varroa and other challenges introduced by humans. GHBRC
ANDRZEJ OLEKSA (panelist)
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, KAZIMIERZ WIELKI UNIVERSITY, PL


Andrzej is a scientist specializing in the ecology of insects associated with tree hollows. His research combines molecular tools, morphometrics, and ecological analyses to investigate biodiversity, population structure, and the conservation of saproxylic insects, including honey bees. His work has enhanced the understanding of genetic introgression in honey bees, host preferences of hermit beetles, and the ecological role of rural avenues as refuges and corridors for vulnerable species. Andrzej has contributed to studies on honey bee subspecies discrimination, population genetics, and conservation strategies. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach, he aims to advance knowledge of insect-plant interactions as well as to support effective conservation initiatives in fragmented landscapes. ResearchGate profile

#2 — Tree-Beekeeping from Around the World
Thursday, 18 June (17–19h CEST // 16–18h GMT // 11am–1pm EDT // 8–10am PDT)

Whereas historians and archeologists seem to know a lot about the general origins and early practices of “standard” beekeeping, less is known about the ancient craft of tree-beekeeping, typically a much less intensive and invasive form of bee-tending. Whether the bees live in natural cavities, are housed within human-made hollows carved out of trees or logs, or sculpted out of other materials and then hung horizontally in trees or strapped vertically to them, a wide array of hive types and management styles exists within the field of arboreal apiculture.

We’ll meet experts from Asia, Europe, and Africa, who will contextualize their region’s historical, cultural, ecological, and practical tree-beekeeping characteristics, as well as share personal experiences and observations. Glimpses into this diverse, traditional practice—which has persisted for thousands of years—may provide fresh inspiration to bee lovers around the world.

EREKLE CHIKVAIDZE 
JARA BEEKEEPERS ASSOCATION, GE


Erekle is a Georgian beekeeper and cultural heritage advocate, focused on preserving and revitalizing traditional mountain-beekeeping practices. He played a leading role in restoring Jara beekeeping, a centuries-old, semi-wild method that was rapidly disappearing as traditional loghives were abandoned. By working closely with mountain communities, he helped reconnect beekeepers, strengthen knowledge-sharing, and support sustainable livelihoods through improved market access. His efforts contributed to Jara beekeeping being officially recognized as part of Georgia’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. Through collaborative storytelling projects, including commissioned documentary films, his work highlights the unique relationship between local communities, bees, and the surrounding wildlife. Jara Beekeepers Association
PAPA KWODWO MBROH  
PROGRAM DIRECTOR, BEES FOR DEVELOPMENT GHANA, GH


Papa is an experienced nature-based beekeeping trainer and development professional with a strong foundation in agriculture (BSc) and agricultural economics (M.Phil. and PhD). As Program Director at Bees for Development Ghana, he provides strategic direction and oversight for project design, implementation, and effective stakeholder engagement. He designs and implements program frameworks, plus monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning systems to optimize project outcomes. He also develops communications materials to raise awareness and promote engagement in nature-based beekeeping initiatives for sustainable development. Passionate about empowering rural communities through beekeeping, he is committed to fostering positive, long-lasting change in rural areas. He is a Commonwealth Professional Fellow, RUFORUM Scholar, and BMZ/GIZ Scholar, and has received numerous awards in recognition of his academic excellence. Bees for Development Ghana
DR. ROBERT MUTISI 
DIRECTOR, WORKING FOR BEES, ZW


Robert is a professional forester, specializing in commercial and social forestry plantation development. He is also a passionate beekeeper, who contributes towards improving African beekeeping systems, aimed at reducing poverty, hunger, and environmental degradation. Robert has pioneered nature-based beekeeping in Zimbabwe, focusing on communities in marginal areas. Other focal areas have included: low-cost hives, bee ecology, native species, inclusivity, non-hive centricity, scalability, and sustainability. He holds an MBA, Master of Arts in Leading Innovation and Change, and a PhD in Agriculture, focusing on honey production and marketing. Robert has faith in nature. Working for Bees
PIOTR PIŁASIEWICZ 
FOUNDER & PRESIDENT, BRACTWO BARTNE (TREE-BEEKEEPING BROTHERHOOD), PL


Piotr is a Polish tree-beekeeper and mead maker, two artisanal crafts steeped in centuries of tradition. Professionally he produces mead, based on rich Polish-Lithuanian techniques. With equal passion—and derived from regional history and heritage—he pursues tree-beekeeping as the most natural way of working with bees. In Augustów, Poland, amid a 1,600km2 virgin forest that stretches into northern Belarus and southeastern Lithuania, Piotr has installed and manages numerous tree- and loghives, as well as runs the Tree-Beekeeping Culture Museum, which displays precious artifacts and exhibitions related to the craft, including the world’s oldest tree-hive, dating back 1,300 years. In 2020, his organization’s petition to recognize tree-beekeeping as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity was finally passed. Bractwo Bartne

#3 — After the Endangered Reclassification in the EU...What's Next?

Date tbd

As a “Part 2” to the March symposium about our work with IUCN, we continue exploring the implications of reclassifying wild Apis mellifera as Endangered in EU27, this time focusing on steps that can be taken towards educating stakeholders, building relationships with policymakers, developing conservation strategies together, and eventually implementing policy change for the betterment of free-living honey bees.

We’ll discuss an array of topics: the myriad ways a nonprofit can enter politics and navigate its complexities, the similarities and differences between national and international situations, what resources ought to be amassed for success, and how individuals in our fledgling free-living honey bee community—like you—can get involved in this promising, yet arduous, journey.

The date and guest speakers will be announced shortly. Stay tuned….

#4 — Ask the Experts...
Thursday, 17 December (17–19h CET // 16–18h GMT // 11am–1pm EST // 8–10am PST)

To further engage our community and make Honey Bee Watch truly more accessible, we’re experimenting with a new concept: providing you with a special opportunity to interact directly with a handful of experts, of whom you can ask pressing questions on a variety of topics. After our guests introduce themselves and their projects, we’ll open the floor to your inquiring minds. Questions can also be submitted in advance for consideration.

Honey Bee Watch’s core team kicks off this new format: Jovana (Board member) studies a variety of bee species and their ecology across urban and agroecosystems, and has led a study on free-living bees in Belgrade, Serbia, for a number of years. Raffaele (Board member) works in sustainable management and breeding to achieve quality beehive products and resilient bees, and is a honey sensory expert and teacher. Arrigo (Science Director and Board member) is a veterinarian, second-generation professional beekeeper, and researcher, focused on honey bee populations that survive Varroa destructor through natural selection.

JOVANA BILA DUBAIĆ
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE, RS


Jovana holds a PhD in Ecology and is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade. Her expertise is bee ecology, with a special focus on urban and agroecosystems. Over the last eight years, she has developed a strong research interest in wild honey bees and has led a study on free-living honey bees in Belgrade, Serbia. Her passion for science and biology extends beyond academia, as she actively engages with a wide audience through social media, public lectures, talks, scientific events, and workshops. Jovana serves as a Board member of Honey Bee Watch. Center for Bee Biology, Instagram
RAFFAELE DALL'OLIO 
OWNER, BEESOURCES, IT


Raffaele is 360° devoted to honey bees. After several years’ experience as a researcher, he decided to become a freelance consultant. Specialized in breeding and conservation, he strives to balance the needs of the beekeeping industry with those of the bees, always guided by a dedication to sustainability. When leveraging his master honey-sensory skills, he educates new consumers on this principle too. Raffaele is also a beekeeper, currently managing approximately 100 hives in Italy. BeeSources
ARRIGO MORO
RESEARCHER, ISTITUTO ZOOPROFILATTICO SPERIMENTALE DELLE VENEZIE, IT


Arrigo is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and second-generation beekeeper with more than 15 years of professional experience. With his PhD, he focused on honey bee populations that survive Varroa destructor through natural selection. He subsequently pursued this interest via a Post-Doc at University of Galway, working on wild honey bee colonies in Ireland. A co-founder of Honey Bee Watch and its Science Director, he currently serves as a researcher at the National Reference Center for Beekeeping and Honey Bee Health in Italy (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie). IZSVe

2025 SYMPOSIA SERIES
Biodiversa+ Grant: The Who, What, Where, When, Why & How of FREE-B (20 Mar)

Honey Bee Watch was integral in assembling a consortium from France, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, and Sweden that applied for—and was recently awarded—an EU Biodiversa+ grant. For three years, the teams will extensively research free-living honey bee populations, including locating new nest sites, monitoring quarterly (and in some cases every fortnight), sampling from choice colonies, sequencing genomes, and testing for pests and pathogens in comparison to nearby managed apiaries. 

We’ll hear about the project’s principal research questions, methodology, envisioned outcomes, deliverables, applications, and implications. A departure from our usual symposium format, we'll begin with an overview of FREE-B, followed by an informative panel discussion with the five Principal Investigators.

Featuring Grace McCormack (University of Galway, IE), Joachim de Miranda (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE), Andrzej Oleksa (Kazimierz Wielki University, PL), Alice Pinto (Bragança Polytechnic University, PT), Fabrice Requier (EGCE Lab, UMR CNRS-IRD-University Paris-Saclay, FR)

(Note: yellow highlights link to speakers' video presentations on our YouTube channel.)


Africa: Nature-Based Apicultural Traditions & Techniques (19 June)

In order to be truly global, Honey Bee Watch is making a concerted effort to identify—and invite into the study—scientists, experts, and beekeepers from Africa, the Middle East, and beyond. During this exploration, we've been exposed to a variety of bee-related observations and beekeeping practices, whose cultural, historic, environmental, and biological characteristics we want to highlight and share with the community.

During this session, we'll focus on Africa and its rich nature-based apicultural traditions and techniques. From horizontal hives dangling from tree canopies to thousands of colonies found freely living in trees, cliff sides, and holes in the ground; from Apis mellifera scutellata’s propensity to frequently swarm to how beekeeping helps people escape poverty—three guests from around the continent tell stories of their personal and professional pursuits, as well as convey the importance of valuing and celebrating indigenous wisdom and practices.


Featuring Tibeebu Alemu (Indigenous Beekeepers Association of Africa, ET), Janet Lowore (Bees for Development, UK), Jason Runo (Oh'Kay Honey Market, KE)


The Latest Buzz: Current Research from Honey Bee Watch Partners (18 September)

Come along a cross-continental journey featuring cutting-edge bee research, when three PhD students specializing in free-living honey bees share their university projects and latest data on wild populations in Africa, Europe, and North America.

Kaylin Kleckner (under Jamie Ellis) describes fieldwork on South Africa’s Apis mellifera scutellata and A.m. capensis populations, their characteristic behaviors, and nesting ecologies. Matúš Pavle (under Róbert Chlebo) researches the factors affecting co-existence between free-living and managed bee colonies, comparing viral loads, population genetics, and the impacts of environment. Alex Valentine (under Grace McCormack) oversees data collection on an eight-year study in Ireland (and parts of the UK) and will share findings on the island’s A.m. mellifera populations: pest, pathogen, pesticide loads; genomic markers; and more.

Featuring Kaylin Kleckner (University of Florida, US), Matúš Pavle (Slovak University of Agriculture at Nitra, SK), Alex Valentine (University of Galway, IE)


Policy Issues: Banning Imports, Fighting Pesticides & GMOs, Rights of Nature (18 December)

While scientific research is essential to come to evidence-based conclusions, what is subsequently done with those findings is what can potentially inform society and lead to (hopefully) positive, beneficial outcomes. For our last symposium in 2025, we hear three stories whereby impassioned ideas, solid science, and visionary action coalesced to push policies to protect the planet and honey bees’ health and habitats.

In Ireland, one of Europe’s last bastions of Apis mellifera mellifera, the Native Irish Honey Bee Society has fought hard to prevent the importation of non-native bees via a political campaign that has gained traction within the Senate and is getting closer to possibly being enacted. In Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, beekeepers facing numerous threats associated with agro-industrial expansion—deforestation, pesticide use, the planting of GMOs (genetically modified organisms)—partnered with researchers and lawyers to push back against perpetrators like Monsanto, eventually leading to legislative victories. And in Ecuador (plus other places around the world), the Rights of Nature are being defended and enshrined into law by activists such as those at the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights. 

Featuring Mari Margil (Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights, US), Loretta Neary (Native Irish Honey Bee Society, IE), Eric Vides Borrell (ECOSUR, MX)

2024 SYMPOSIA SERIES
Bee-lining: Modern-day Makeover of an Age-Old Craft (21 March)

Bee-lining involves searching for bees and patiently following foragers back to their natural homes. While centuries old, this craft’s utility has become less effective in modern times, with dwindling habitat and an explosion of managed apiaries abutting swaths of forests and woodlands. To increase the success of one’s hunt, researchers have honed their bee-spying and -tracking skills and developed new techniques to reveal where bees live, some of which our guests shared.

This event was co-presented by the Arboreal Apiculture Salon.

Featuring Cheyanna Bone (Apis Arborea, US), Joe Ibbertson (Boughton Estate Honeybee Conservation, UK), Prof. Thomas Seeley (Cornell University, US), Michael Joshin Thiele (Apis Arborea, US)


Tree Cavities: Homes and Biomes for Bees & Other Organisms (20 June)

Studying free-living honey bees often brings researchers deep into forests to monitor colonies in their natural habitat. Observations of tree cavities have revealed interesting findings, including new occupants and/or unexpected co-habitants, such as woodpeckers, owls, squirrels, other insects, fungi, and more. 

What do we know about these dynamically rich nest spaces? What can we learn about interspecies interactions within tree cavities? How can an intersectional, multidisciplinary scientific approach among researchers from varying specialties widen our understanding of free-living bee biology and behavior? Three experts from different fields explored these topics and more.


Featuring Kevin Smith (USDA Forest Service, US), Mick Verspuij (Boomtreebees, IE), Barbara Zadjel (Warsaw University of Life Sciences, PL)


Are Wild Honey Bees Wild Bees Too? (26 September)

It was once widely believed that wild-living honey bees went extinct long ago. Even though there’s proof of their existence, some still believe that they’re only feral escapees from managed hives' swarms. In light of these and similar (mis)conceptions, coupled with recent studies positing that managed honey bees compete with wild bees (aka non-Apis mellifera species, often solitary and native), there’s a prevailing opinion that honey bees living on their own may not deserve conservation or even our attention. Although Honey Bee Watch strongly disagrees, we welcomed a panel of experts to transparently discuss contemporary (and sometimes controversial) research, past myths, and present realities surrounding “wild honey bees” and their place within natural ecosystems.

Featuring Kit Prendergast (Curtin University, AU), Jamie Strange (Ohio State University, US), Marija Tanasković (University of Belgrade, RS)

 


Spreading Buzz: Communicating & Recruiting for Citizen Science (19 December)

It was once widely believed that wild-living honey bees went extinct long ago. Even though there’s proof of their existence, some still believe that they’re only feral escapees from managed hives' swarms. In light of these and similar (mis)conceptions, coupled with recent studies positing that managed honey bees compete with wild bees (aka non-Apis mellifera species, often solitary and native), there’s a prevailing opinion that honey bees living on their own may not deserve conservation or even our attention. Although Honey Bee Watch strongly disagrees, we welcomed a panel of experts to transparently discuss contemporary (and sometimes controversial) research, past myths, and present realities surrounding “wild honey bees” and their place within natural ecosystems.

Featuring Carolina Doran (European Citizen Science Association, DE), Nathalie Steinhauer (Oregon State University, US), Adelaide Valentini (Resilient Bee Project, IT)

2023 SYMPOSIA SERIES
The Case for Protocol Standardization: Monitoring (28 June)

This symposium tackled protocols, namely which data points we request citizen scientists and research partners collect when monitoring free-living nests. Intending to become the world’s greatest repository of data on survivors, Honey Bee Watch strives to standardize protocols to a great degree, then share them far and wide in order to ensure parity of data globally. But how do you converge monitoring protocols from projects with different research goals, that have spanned varying time frames, that do or do not involve citizens, and with origins in countries as diverse as Serbia, Ireland, UK, US, and beyond?

Featuring Dr. Jovana Bila Dubaić (University of Belgrade, RS), Dr. Grace McCormack (Galway Honey Bee Research Centre, University of Galway, IE), Filipe Salbany (Blenheim Estate, UK), Prof. Thomas Seeley (Cornell University, US)


Sharing Is Caring: Unraveling Data Rights & Sharing (28 September)

Citizen science prioritizes collaboration, with scientists relying on the contributions of individuals, who collect essential data for their research. A simple enough concept, but when you scratch the surface, complexities and nuances are quickly revealed.

As a participating Bee Guardian citizen registering qualifying colonies into Honey Bee Watch, would you willingly share the bees' locations, periodic observational details, your name, contact info? As a researcher 
potentially entering into a global study like ours, what general concerns do you have regarding data rights, data sharing, crediting, publishing, etc.?

Featuring Roger Dammé (Honey Bee Wild, LU), Paolo Fontana (Edmund Mach Foundation, IT), Noa Simón Delso (BeeLife, BE)

 


"Wild", "Free-Living", "Feral": Definitions for Consistency (13 December)

Honey bees are in a rare category within the animal kingdom, straddling wild and domesticated. In 2014, the IUCN assessed Apis mellifera in Europe, conferring a “data deficient” Red List status due to the difficulty of identifying and discerning wild populations. What defines “wild”? Why is this term so controversial? Does "wild" apply to the colony itself or entire self-sustaining populations too?

If scientists can accept a common definition, will we then be able to accurately reassess their Red List status as well as advance with coordinated conservation efforts internationally? During this talk, our guests talked about the usefulness of standardizing other terms and the benefits of widely distributing such a shared glossary.

Featuring Hannes Bonhoff (Honungsbiföreningen, SE), Patrick Kohl (University of Würzburg, DE), Fabrice Requier (University of Paris-Saclay, FR), Michael Joshin Thiele (Apis Arborea, US)

Honey Bee Watch Café

During some months in between symposia, we've hosted informal gatherings, whereby bee lovers share real-life experiences with free-living honey bees, whether related to science, personal observations, theory, or practice. These have been free-form "virtual handshake" sessions, a place to hear people's stories, learn about studies around the globe, glean new ideas, make connections, get inspired, and become part of our family of bee experts and enthusiasts. 

At the moment we're not hosting Café events, but if you'd like to be informed of any in the future, subscribe to our mailing list below.

One-Off Events

A Day at Blenheim Palace & Estate (2 April 2023)

We organized a special tour of Blenheim Estate, Europe's largest and oldest ancient oak woodlands, in search of bees living in trees. Fifty guests from around the world strolled the grounds, stood in the majestic shadows of 1,000-year-old giants, and learned about them and their bee inhabitants from Filipe Salbany and Francis Gilio. 

In less than three years, they have located 76 nest cavities on a small portion of Blenheim's 2,500 acres, a handful of which were espied that day. On an additional adjacent 10,000 acres, they're establishing a Conservation Covenant to protect this unique ecosystem and all the flora and fauna contained within.

Watch the video to learn more. Thanks to COLOSS and Ricola Foundation — Nature & Culture for their financial support.

Contacts

Project Director: Steve Rogenstein
Science Director: Arrigo Moro
Inquiries: honeybeewatch.info@gmail.com

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