Demographics of the European Apicultural Industry

Over the last few years, many European and North American countries have reported a high rate of disorders (mortality, dwindling and disappearance) affecting honeybee colonies (Apis mellifera). Although beekeeping has become an increasingly professional activity in recent years, the beekeeping industry remains poorly documented in Europe. The European Union Reference Laboratory for Honeybee Health sent a detailed questionnaire to each Member State, in addition to Kosovo and Norway, to determine the demographics and state of their beekeeping industries. Based on data supplied by the National Reference Laboratory for honeybee diseases in each European country, a European database was created to describe the beekeeping industry including the number and types of beekeepers, operation size, industry production, and health (notifiable diseases, mortalities). The total number of beekeepers in Europe was estimated at 620 000. European honey production was evaluated at around 220 000 tons in 2010. The price of honey varied from 1.5 to 40 €/kg depending on the country and on the distribution network. The estimated colony winter mortality varied from 7 to 28% depending on the country and the origin of the data (institutional survey or beekeeping associations). This survey documents the high heterogeneity of the apicultural industry within the European Union. The high proportion of non-professional beekeepers and the small mean number of colonies per beekeeper were the only common characteristics at European level. The tremendous variation in European apicultural industries has implication for any comprehensive epidemiological or economic analysis of the industry. This variability needs to be taken into account for such analysis as well as for future policy development. The industry would be served if beekeeping registration was uniformly implemented across member states. Better information on the package bee and queen production would help in understanding the ability of the industry to replace lost honey bee stocks.

近年来，诸多欧洲与北美国家均报告称，西方蜜蜂（Apis mellifera）蜂群出现高比例异常状况，涵盖蜂群死亡、数量缩减乃至完全消亡。尽管近年来养蜂业的专业化程度持续提升，但欧洲地区的养蜂产业仍缺乏详实的档案记录。欧盟蜜蜂健康参考实验室（European Union Reference Laboratory for Honeybee Health）向所有欧盟成员国以及科索沃、挪威发放了详细问卷，以调研各国养蜂产业的人口结构与运营现状。依托欧洲各国国家蜜蜂疾病参考实验室提供的数据，研究团队构建了欧洲养蜂产业数据库，涵盖养蜂者数量与类型、养殖规模、产业产量以及蜂群健康状况（须通报疫病、蜂群死亡情况）等内容。经估算，欧洲养蜂者总规模约为62万人。2010年欧洲蜂蜜总产量约为22万吨。蜂蜜售价因国家与分销渠道不同差异显著，区间为1.5至40欧元/千克。经估算，欧洲蜂群越冬死亡率因国家及数据来源（官方调研或养蜂协会数据）不同在7%至28%之间波动。本次调研清晰展现了欧盟内部养蜂产业的高度异质性。非专业养蜂者占比偏高、单养蜂者平均蜂群数量偏少，是欧洲范围内仅有的两项共性特征。欧洲养蜂产业的巨大差异，会对该产业的各类全面流行病学与经济学分析产生影响。开展此类分析以及未来制定相关政策时，均需将这种差异性纳入考量范畴。若欧盟成员国统一推行养蜂登记制度，将有助于推动产业规范化发展。若能获取更多关于包装蜂与蜂王繁育的相关信息，将有助于理解产业补充丢失蜂群的能力。