Honey bees and wild bees, a duel in the sun in the meadows and apiaries of Lozère

La ressource florale des abeilles sauvages, essentielle pour la biodiversité. Midi Libre – ARCHIVE F. C

Le syndicat apicole de Lozère, le groupement de défense sanitaire apicole et le Parc national des Cévennes (PNC) organisaient samedi 17 février 2024 une journée dédiée, à Florac. Au menu, la ruche basse consommation et la préservation des abeilles sauvages. 

The 12th edition of the beekeeping day  was an opportunity for industry players to come together for two conferences. In the morning, a first session took place around the low-consumption hive (see insert) and in the afternoon, another on the conciliation of beekeeping with the preservation of wild bees and the sharing of floral resources for all these insects and pollinators. Since 2020, the PNC has been working with a team of researchers from Inrae (Avignon and Toulouse) on a study on the interaction between domestic bees (honeybees) and wild pollinators (bees, bumblebees, etc…). Léo Mouillard-Lample, biologist, doctoral student at Inrae, collected data on a collection of more than 7,500 wild and domestic bees in chestnut groves and heaths in callune in Lozère.

Near the apiaries, the competition

"I asked myself the question of whether beekeeping could be in conflict with biodiversity. The PNC launched the pollinator plan, the idea came to come here for the study. This is an area where apiaries have been established for a long time. Indeed, 26,000 bee colonies and 310 beekeepers were present, according to a 2012 census, with 300 species in Cévennes. "What interested me was the competition for resources between these different species. Most studies show that there is a potentially negative effect of the introduction of domestic bees on their wild counterparts, in terms of supply of nectar." Léo Mouillard-Lample pushed the questioning on the sharing of the territory: “There can also be competition between domestic colonies and therefore lead to problems between hive professionals”, he said. he detailed. His ecological study, on five floral resources  around the Cévennes valleys, Mijavols and Mont Lozère, highlighted a phenomenon: "We observed a 30% reduction in nectar transported by wild bees within 350 meters of one more apiary of sixteen colonies. Which suggests competition near the apiaries." With some nuances depending on the flowers: "15% for callune in 2020, no reduction in 2021." For honey bees, the observation is the same: "The nectar transported decreases when we get closer to apiaries with more than 16 colonies." 

Optimize resource management

For beekeepers and ecologists, how to optimize the territory to preserve biodiversity ? Several experiments have been carried out, such as banning apiaries or establishing new installations in an area, charters good beekeeping practices. Léo Mouillard-Lample also questioned the notion of the common good, through the work of Elinor Ostrom, Nobel Prize winner ’ economy: "She said that it is possible to manage common goods within a collective organization. It will be more effective in controlling floral resources in the case of the bee for example, pointed out the biologist. The latter questioned 34 local beekeepers on the perception of resources: "Overall, the feeling is changing because the resource is becoming rarer, due in particular to climate change. Competition between bee species is better perceived. Without clear rules established between professionals and ecological uncertainties, the question of the sustainability of beekeeping arises: "We meet the players in the sector and we use role-playing games to start thinking, improve understanding of the socio-ecological system. Find possible action scenarios, new rules. With, for example, local experimentation zones that could be created. So that domestic bees and wild foragers live around the flowers, in perfect harmony. 

Insulating apiaries, a challenge for better production

David Blanc, beekeeper and president of the Lozère beekeeping union answered our questions. 

Where did the idea of ​​insulating hives come from ? 

This was worked on by Damien Merit, our speaker. With Marc Guillemain (who passed away in 2022, Editor's note), they studied this possibility. The idea came from the hollow tree trunk. A swarm lives there very well but when it is transferred to a traditional hive, things go less well. They wanted to know the reasons. 

And so ?  

They studied the insulation of a tree trunk compared to a traditional hive with ventilated trays. They therefore developed isolated partitions (High performance isolated partition, Editor’s note).

How do you insulate a hive ? 

You need to add a frame with insulation, a bit like a house. The bees are much more compressed inside the colony. They live better, they are much more resistant and they consume much less. A priori, they produce more honey. 

Are beekeepers interested ? 

Yes, some lose colonies because they are too weak, especially after winter. The bees have difficulty leaving. With insulation, they are doing much better, leaving again and for the beekeeper this is not nothing. 

"The low energy consumption hive, a beekeeping revolution", by Marc Guillemain, Damien Merit and Jean Riondet published by Ulmer, 22 €< /p> I subscribe to read more