Rutschmann Benjamin, Remter Felix, Roth Sebastian
BEEtree-Monitor Munich Germany.
Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter University of Würzburg Würzburg Germany.
Ecol Evol. 2025 Jun 5;15(6):e71469. doi: 10.1002/ece3.71469. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Our understanding of the western honeybee () predominantly stems from studies conducted within beekeeping environments, leaving the presence and characteristics of honeybees outside managed settings largely unexplored. In this study, we examined the habitats, nesting sites, and survival rates of free-living colonies through personal monitoring of nest sites in Munich ( = 107) and the coordination of Citizen Science monitoring across Germany ( = 423). Within 7 years, we collected 2555 observations on 530 nest sites from 311 participants, including the authors. Overall, we found that 31% of the occupied nest sites were in buildings and 63% in mature trees, with clear preferences for specific tree species. Nesting preferences differed between urban, rural, and forested areas. On average, only 12% of the personally monitored colonies in Munich survived annually, a figure that aligns well with other published studies in Germany but contrasts sharply with the significantly higher survival rates resulting from Citizen Science reports (29%)-a discrepancy likely driven by certain reporting biases. We found that Citizen Science yielded significantly fewer updates per colony, underreported abandoned sites, and that 46% of overwintering reports overlapped with the swarming season and had to be excluded. To gain reliable survival data in Citizen Science projects, consistency and timing of reports need particular attention and regional swarming should be monitored as well. This study enhances our understanding of the ecological dynamics, liminal state, and conservation needs of free-living honeybee cohorts, addresses potential Citizen Science monitoring biases, and suggests standardized data collection protocols for future monitoring projects. The preservation of mature trees with suitable cavities, as well as the provision of additional nesting sites, is key for sustaining free-living honeybee cohorts and should be integrated into conservation strategies, urban planning, and forest management.
我们对西方蜜蜂（ ）的了解主要源于在养蜂环境中进行的研究，而在非管理环境中蜜蜂的存在及特征在很大程度上未得到探索。在本研究中，我们通过亲自监测慕尼黑的巢穴地点（ = 107）以及协调德国各地的公民科学监测（ = 423），研究了自由生活蜂群的栖息地、筑巢地点和存活率。在7年时间里，我们从包括作者在内的311名参与者那里收集了关于530个巢穴地点的2555条观测数据。总体而言，我们发现31%的被占据巢穴地点位于建筑物中，63%位于成熟树木中，且对特定树种有明显偏好。城市、农村和森林地区的筑巢偏好有所不同。平均而言，慕尼黑亲自监测的蜂群每年只有12%存活，这一数字与德国其他已发表的研究结果相符，但与公民科学报告得出的显著更高的存活率（29%）形成鲜明对比——这种差异可能是由某些报告偏差导致的。我们发现公民科学每个蜂群产生的更新显著较少，废弃地点报告不足，并且46%的越冬报告与分蜂季节重叠，必须排除。为了在公民科学项目中获得可靠的生存数据，报告的一致性和时间需要特别关注，同时也应监测区域分蜂情况。本研究增进了我们对自由生活蜜蜂群体的生态动态、临界状态和保护需求的理解，解决了潜在的公民科学监测偏差，并为未来的监测项目提出了标准化的数据收集方案。保护有合适空洞的成熟树木以及提供额外的筑巢地点，是维持自由生活蜜蜂群体的关键，应纳入保护策略、城市规划和森林管理之中。
