Direct Economic Impact Assessment ofWinter Honeybee Colony Losses in Three European Countries
Journal
MDPI Agriculture
Date Issued
2021-04-27
Author(s)
Popovska Stojanov, D
Dimitrov, L
Danihlík, J
Uzunov, A
Golubovski, M
Andonov, S
Brodschneider, R
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ agriculture11050398
Abstract
Honeybees are of great importance because of their role in pollination as well as for hive
products. The population of managed colonies fluctuates over time, and recent monitoring reports
show different levels of colony losses in many regions and countries. The cause of this kind of loss
is a combination of various factors, such as the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, viruses, pesticides,
management practices, climate change, and other stress factors. Having in mind that the economic
aspect of honeybee colony losses has not been estimated, a pioneer effort was made for developing
a methodology that estimates the economic impact of honeybee colony losses. Winter loss data
was based on 2993 answers of the COLOSS standard questionnaire survey of honeybee winter
colony losses for 2016/2017. In addition, market and financial data were used for each country. In a
comparative analysis, an assessment on the economic impact of colony losses in Austria, Czechia,
and Macedonia was made. The estimation considered the value of the colonies and the potential
production losses of the lost colonies and of surviving but weak colonies. The direct economic impact
of winter honeybee colony losses in 2016/2017 in Austria was estimated to be about 32 Mio ; in
Czechia, 21 Mio ; and in Macedonia, 3 Mio . Economic impact reflects the different value levels in
the three countries, national colony populations, and the magnitude of colony losses. This study also
suggests that economic losses are much higher than the subsidies, which underlines the economic
importance of honeybees for the agricultural sector.
products. The population of managed colonies fluctuates over time, and recent monitoring reports
show different levels of colony losses in many regions and countries. The cause of this kind of loss
is a combination of various factors, such as the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, viruses, pesticides,
management practices, climate change, and other stress factors. Having in mind that the economic
aspect of honeybee colony losses has not been estimated, a pioneer effort was made for developing
a methodology that estimates the economic impact of honeybee colony losses. Winter loss data
was based on 2993 answers of the COLOSS standard questionnaire survey of honeybee winter
colony losses for 2016/2017. In addition, market and financial data were used for each country. In a
comparative analysis, an assessment on the economic impact of colony losses in Austria, Czechia,
and Macedonia was made. The estimation considered the value of the colonies and the potential
production losses of the lost colonies and of surviving but weak colonies. The direct economic impact
of winter honeybee colony losses in 2016/2017 in Austria was estimated to be about 32 Mio ; in
Czechia, 21 Mio ; and in Macedonia, 3 Mio . Economic impact reflects the different value levels in
the three countries, national colony populations, and the magnitude of colony losses. This study also
suggests that economic losses are much higher than the subsidies, which underlines the economic
importance of honeybees for the agricultural sector.
Subjects
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