Citizens Science, Portugal

Across the world there are numerous scientific research studies monitoring free living honey bees, this means honey bees without human intervention. These bees can be living in tree cavities, caves, cliff faces, houses, commercial hives or bee centred homes such as log hives. The current science shows genetic diversity is key to healthy bees and that allowing bees to perform natural behaviours, such as swarming and building their own comb, is vital to health.

In Portugal there is currently very little data on free-living honey bees and we would like to change this by monitoring, collecting data and applying rigorous science to understand the state of the health of bees in Portugal. We have begun by uploading data on the locations of the free living bees we are aware of. Our vision is, through the wonder of free-living honey bees, to create a strong community of nature lovers to support bees being able to perform natural behaviours. As a keystone species, the health of the honey bees is an indicator to the health of the ecosystem.

The aim of the research is it becomes a source of inspiration for decision making around honey bee practises and create a platform for education, action and celebration to improve ecosystem health. The data capture is by watershed, both quantitive and qualitative, to understand how health differs across the vast changes in landscapes. We wish to connect academia, bee communities, policy makers and the public around a shared purpose of vitality for this species.

Data capture
Currently we are uploading data on the locations of free-living bees, if you know of a nest get in touch.