JOIN A TASK FORCE!
As we grow, so too does our team and list of tasks. If you'd like to help shape Honey Bee Watch and contribute to its success, consider joining a Task Force. Each has been established with an express purpose (described below), which, once achieved, will trigger its eventual disbandment.
THE IUCN RED LIST FOR APIS MELLIFERA
Honey Bee Watch collaborated with the University of Mons in Belgium and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to reassess Apis mellifera's Red List of Threatened Species status in Europe. Our team determined that wild populations are Endangered in the European Union (27 Member States) but still remain Data Deficient in pan-Europe, due to scarce data in such regions as the Balkans, Baltic States, Scandinavia, and Western Russia, leading to another conclusion that further research (and funding) is necessary. The 2025 reassessment report can be read here.
TEAM: Arrigo Moro (lead), Jovana Bila Dubaić, Keith Browne, Raffaele Dall’Olio, Pilar de la Rua, Paolo Fontana, Patrick Kohl, Per Kryger, Grace McCormack, Andrzej Oleksa, Alice Pinto, Fabrice Requier, Steve Rogenstein, Benjamin Rutschmann
TEAM: Arrigo Moro (lead), Jovana Bila Dubaić, Keith Browne, Raffaele Dall’Olio, Pilar de la Rua, Paolo Fontana, Patrick Kohl, Per Kryger, Grace McCormack, Andrzej Oleksa, Alice Pinto, Fabrice Requier, Steve Rogenstein, Benjamin Rutschmann
PROTOCOLS: MONITORING
After a site has been entered into Honey Bee Watch's online database, participants are then asked to monitor the bees and record their observations multiple times per year. We created a standardized monitoring protocol (and accompanying guidelines), which researchers, partners, and citizen scientists alike can download and use freely, with the ultimate objective of ensuring data consistency around the world (respecting geographic, climatic, and cultural differences, of course).
TEAM: Jovana Bila Dubaić and Arrigo Moro (co-chairs), Vincent Albouy, Myra Dickey, Patrick Kohl, Juliana Rangel Posada, Fabrice Requier, Felix Remter, Steve Rogenstein, Benjamin Rutschmann, Michael Joshin Thiele, Oliver Visick, with feedback from Thomas Seeley
TEAM: Jovana Bila Dubaić and Arrigo Moro (co-chairs), Vincent Albouy, Myra Dickey, Patrick Kohl, Juliana Rangel Posada, Fabrice Requier, Felix Remter, Steve Rogenstein, Benjamin Rutschmann, Michael Joshin Thiele, Oliver Visick, with feedback from Thomas Seeley
GLOSSARY OF APICULTURAL TERMS
Honey Bee Watch supports the efforts of several experts who are drafting a glossary of terms related to free-living honey bees and their study, which we will help edit, publish, translate into multiple languages, and then disseminate widely to ensure clearer understanding and consistency among researchers and practitioners around the world.
TEAM: Vincent Albouy (co-lead), Francis Cordillot (co-lead), Rosa María Licón Luna (coordinator)
HELP NEEDED
• Are you an apidologist, ecologist, taxonomist, translator?
• Do you have experience setting up a Wiki-like platform or suggestions on how to create editable shared documents?
TEAM: Vincent Albouy (co-lead), Francis Cordillot (co-lead), Rosa María Licón Luna (coordinator)
HELP NEEDED
• Are you an apidologist, ecologist, taxonomist, translator?
• Do you have experience setting up a Wiki-like platform or suggestions on how to create editable shared documents?
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
JOVANA BILA DUBAIĊ
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, FACULTY OF BIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE
Jovana holds a PhD in ecology and works as an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade. Her area of expertise includes ecology, biogeography, and environmental protection, with her research focusing not only on honey bees, but on all bee species and their roles in the context of agro- and urban ecology. In the last 5 years, Jovana has developed a special interest in free-living honey bees. 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. Center for Bee Biology, Instagram
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, FACULTY OF BIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE
Jovana holds a PhD in ecology and works as an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade. Her area of expertise includes ecology, biogeography, and environmental protection, with her research focusing not only on honey bees, but on all bee species and their roles in the context of agro- and urban ecology. In the last 5 years, Jovana has developed a special interest in free-living honey bees. 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. Center for Bee Biology, Instagram
KEITH BROWNE
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF GALWAY
A lecturer in Evolution Theory, Phylogenetics and Conservation, Keith has a lifelong fascination with fauna, flora, conservation, and the natural world in general. His research focuses on the threat to Ireland’s native honey bee from Varroa destructor and hybridization. It has consisted of testing the feasibility of a breeding program to increase resilience to Varroa; employing DNA methods for investigating the population profile, pollen use, and gut microbiome of colonies as part of their key to local adaptation; and profiling the free-living honey bee population. His current research focuses on finding novel approaches to examine free-living colonies in situ to investigate the mechanisms that allow these colonies to survive, and to monitor the extent of hybridization. University of Galway
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF GALWAY
A lecturer in Evolution Theory, Phylogenetics and Conservation, Keith has a lifelong fascination with fauna, flora, conservation, and the natural world in general. His research focuses on the threat to Ireland’s native honey bee from Varroa destructor and hybridization. It has consisted of testing the feasibility of a breeding program to increase resilience to Varroa; employing DNA methods for investigating the population profile, pollen use, and gut microbiome of colonies as part of their key to local adaptation; and profiling the free-living honey bee population. His current research focuses on finding novel approaches to examine free-living colonies in situ to investigate the mechanisms that allow these colonies to survive, and to monitor the extent of hybridization. University of Galway
RAFFAELE DALL'OLIO
OWNER, BEESOURCES
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
OWNER, BEESOURCES
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
DR. ARRIGO MORO
POST-DOC RESEARCHER, UNIVERSITY OF GALWAY
Arrigo is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and a beekeeper with more than 15 years of expertise in the professional sector. He completed his PhD at the Institute of Bee Health in Bern, Switzerland, focusing on populations of honey bees that survive Varroa destructor by means of natural selection. He is now a Post-Doc researcher at the University of Galway, working on the wild and surviving honey bee colonies of Ireland. He is also a co-founder of Honey Bee Watch. ResearchGate profile
POST-DOC RESEARCHER, UNIVERSITY OF GALWAY
Arrigo is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and a beekeeper with more than 15 years of expertise in the professional sector. He completed his PhD at the Institute of Bee Health in Bern, Switzerland, focusing on populations of honey bees that survive Varroa destructor by means of natural selection. He is now a Post-Doc researcher at the University of Galway, working on the wild and surviving honey bee colonies of Ireland. He is also a co-founder of Honey Bee Watch. ResearchGate profile
STEVE ROGENSTEIN
FOUNDER, THE AMBEESSADORS
Steve is a bee advocate and environmental activist. He co-produced NYC Honey Week, co-founded BCN Honey Fest in Barcelona, was lead producer of the 2019 Learning from the Bees conference, co-curates and produces the BEES, DREAMS & MEDICINE online speakers series, organizes tree-beekeeping workshops in Berlin, and founded The Ambeessadors. The latter has the dual mission of connecting the bee community and spreading awareness of and appreciation for the importance of the bee — and other pollinators — through events, research, educational programs, art, advocacy, and more. The Ambeessadors
FOUNDER, THE AMBEESSADORS
Steve is a bee advocate and environmental activist. He co-produced NYC Honey Week, co-founded BCN Honey Fest in Barcelona, was lead producer of the 2019 Learning from the Bees conference, co-curates and produces the BEES, DREAMS & MEDICINE online speakers series, organizes tree-beekeeping workshops in Berlin, and founded The Ambeessadors. The latter has the dual mission of connecting the bee community and spreading awareness of and appreciation for the importance of the bee — and other pollinators — through events, research, educational programs, art, advocacy, and more. The Ambeessadors
RESEARCH PARTNERS
APIS ARBOREA US
At Apis Arborea, we believe the expanding environmental crisis of our time calls for a radical re-conceptualization of apiculture and the creation of new models for the conservation of honey bees. We regard the inter-relationship between honey bees and Earth’s ecosystems as a resource and inspiration for our human work in agriculture, economics, and sociocultural and environmental fields. We believe in the importance of collaborating with diverse stakeholders on multidisciplinary levels and creating innovative models of being and knowledge in research and conservation. Apis Arborea
GALWAY HONEY BEE RESEARCH CENTRE IRELAND
The Galway Honey Bee Research Centre is a group of academics, researchers, students, technical officers, and beekeepers based in Galway on the west coast of Ireland. We commenced research on honey bees to support beekeeping and biodiversity in Ireland and to further understand our native honey bee subspecies, Apis mellifera mellifera, for the sake of its conservation, especially in the wild.
The Galway Honey Bee Research Centre is a group of academics, researchers, students, technical officers, and beekeepers based in Galway on the west coast of Ireland. We commenced research on honey bees to support beekeeping and biodiversity in Ireland and to further understand our native honey bee subspecies, Apis mellifera mellifera, for the sake of its conservation, especially in the wild.
OPIE POITOU-CHARENTES FRANCE
The Office Pour les Insectes et leur Environnement (OPIE) is a French non-governmental nature conservation and environmental education organization that works to improve knowledge of insects and to protect them. Within this framework, the Poitou-Charentes group has initiated since 2017 a demographic study of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies in the wild in the north of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region.
The Office Pour les Insectes et leur Environnement (OPIE) is a French non-governmental nature conservation and environmental education organization that works to improve knowledge of insects and to protect them. Within this framework, the Poitou-Charentes group has initiated since 2017 a demographic study of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies in the wild in the north of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region.
RESILIENT BEE PROJECT ITALY
Resilient Bee Project is creating a network of guardian beekeepers, who will take care of colonies. Wild bees are the only ones who have the secret against varroa mite.
Resilient Bee Project is creating a network of guardian beekeepers, who will take care of colonies. Wild bees are the only ones who have the secret against varroa mite.
TECH PARTNER
GISCOLLECTIVE
The GISCollective team is building an open-source mapping platform. Its goal is to make it easy for a wide array of entities to collaborate on projects that benefit from GeoData collection and management. Without the need of specialized GIS knowledge, groups who participate in ecology, science, activism, administration, or local communities can benefit from a complete, versatile, and modern solution. Honey Bee Watch's mapping platform was developed by GISCollective.
The GISCollective team is building an open-source mapping platform. Its goal is to make it easy for a wide array of entities to collaborate on projects that benefit from GeoData collection and management. Without the need of specialized GIS knowledge, groups who participate in ecology, science, activism, administration, or local communities can benefit from a complete, versatile, and modern solution. Honey Bee Watch's mapping platform was developed by GISCollective.
Contacts
Director (Project): Steve Rogenstein
Director (Science): Arrigo Moro
Director: Keith Browne
Inquiries: honeybeewatch.info@gmail.com
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