Latvia and Lithuania Launch Project to Protect the European Dark Honey Bee
Researchers and nature conservation groups in Latvia and Lithuania have started a cross-border project to preserve and strengthen the declining European dark honey bee population. It includes a joint monitoring system, genetic analyses and cooperation with beekeepers.
A new cross-border research and cooperation project has begun in Latvia and Lithuania, aiming to preserve and strengthen the population of the European dark honey bee. The dark bee is a native honey bee subspecies of Northern Europe, and its numbers are declining. The news agency LETA was informed about the launch by Dainuvīte Anna Roginska, communications specialist at the Latvian Fund for Nature, a conservation organisation.
The project brings together researchers and nature conservation organisations from both countries to develop a unified, science-based approach to studying, protecting and sustainably managing the subspecies. The dark bee has lived in the region since the last ice age and forms part of a natural and genetic heritage shaped over thousands of years as it adapted to the local climate, plants and ecosystems. Its population is shrinking because it hybridises with introduced honey bee subspecies, losing its genetic identity and valuable adaptive traits. Since the bees live in the Latvian–Lithuanian border region, which forms a single ecological area, the two countries are acting together.
What the project involves
The project will set up a unified monitoring system, map the distribution of the dark bee, carry out genetic analyses and create a shared database to support science-based decisions. After the initial mapping of the population, queens will be obtained from the genetically most promising colonies and distributed to local beekeepers, creating a network of apiaries to strengthen the population in Latvia.
The researchers will also study the link between dark bee genetics, biodiversity and the quality of beekeeping products, analysing the properties of honey, propolis and pollen. This should establish scientifically the bee's role in preserving biodiversity and how biodiversity near apiaries affects honey quality.
The project organisers stress that cooperation with beekeepers in both countries will be decisive. Educational seminars, training and exchange-of-experience events are therefore planned to introduce beekeepers to the dark bee and build a long-term support network for it.
Participants include the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, the Latvian State Forest Research Institute Silava, the Latvian Fund for Nature, the Botanical Garden of Klaipėda University, the Lithuanian state research institute and the Lithuanian Dark Bee Association.
