The health crisis of the past years has slowed down the opportunities for beekeepers and experts in the apiculture sector to meet and delve into issues and challenges of beekeeping.
The Apinverno project was a first opportunity to restart this mode of exchange of knowledge and expertise. The international collaboration took place involving various French and Italian stakeholders - academics and researchers, apicultural technicians, and beekeepers - in technical meetings held directly in the field to strengthen and expand cross-border collaboration in beekeeping initiated during the previous Innov'Api project.
Project partners
The project involves bee experts to ensure knowledge and group dynamics that allow activities to be carried out in the best possible way.
Apinverno has both French and Italian partners:
INRAE (public research institute on Agriculture, Food and Environment, coordinator)
DISAFA (Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences, University of Turin)
UNAAPI (National Union of Italian Beekeeping Associations)
ADAPI (Association for the Development of Beekeeping in Provence)
Activities
During the project, a simplified protocol for the management and control of Varroa destructor in overwintering beehives was adopted. Various scenarios were evaluated, including the overwintering location (mountain or plain) and Varroa treatment (queen caging), then assessing the importance of hygienic control for each hive.
The Apinverno project builds on the studies carried out during Innov’api, putting them into practice through experiments and concrete actions for Varroa management.
The activities, specifically, will address:
the role of the winter period in health management,
the effect of good Varroa management in winter on viral load,
the ability to use hive hygienic properties at the beginning of winter as a guide for beekeeping management at the beginning of the season