The UABee experimental apiary was founded in 2019 with 4 hives from an apiary located 20 km from the UAB Campus in the province of Barcelona (J. López del Moral, Castellar del Vallés, Vallés Occidental) and sponsorship of the company Granja San Francisco (Terrassa, Vallés Occidental). In 2020 UABee was expanded with 2 more hives of the same origin and in 2023 it was moved to its current location, in the experimental fields of the Servei de Granges i Camps Experimentals of the UAB. The transfer of the apiary, carried out at the beginning of 2023, weakened the hives and therefore, in the same year, UABee expanded with 4 more hives from another apiary in the province of Barcelona (Ll. Guixà, Sant Pedor, Bages) that underwent partition. Both beekeepers are of recognized prestige and active members of the Associació d'Apicultors de Barcelona (ASAB).

In 2024 the UABee apiary reached its maximum size, with a total of 15 officially registered hives in production.

The apiary is located next to the Health Care Service (SAS) of the UAB, on the grounds of the Servicio de Granjas y Campos Experimentales (SGCE) of the UAB, on the Bellaterra Campus (Cerdanyola del Vallés, Vallés Occidental, Barcelona), next in the Sierra de Collserola Natural Park. The official REGA identification number is ES 08266 000 2257 and its position coordinates are 41º29.9411'N and 02º06.2040'E. The UAB campus in Bellaterra has more than 200 hectares with large green spaces made up of gardens, fodder crops and rainfed pastures, scrubland and Mediterranean and riparian forest.

https://earth.google.com/earth/d/16-k53WZPJYHOM04FhqflT5lbscCaNZdj?usp=sharing

The apiary is equipped with a pond with permanent water and floats to facilitate access and drinking for the bees. It also has electrical installation, lighting and Wi-Fi from the UAB's own network.

The bees in the UABee apiary are Apis mellifera iberiensis Engel 1999, from apiaries in the province of Barcelona (J. López and Ll. Guixà). Bees from wild swarms captured through hunting hives installed in the apiary itself or in different locations in Vallès Occidental have also been incorporated.

The Iberian bee (A. m. iberiensis), commonly called the black Iberian race, is one of the genetically differentiated subspecies of Group M of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus 1758), which is characterized by its dark color and location in the Iberian Peninsula. (De la Rúa et al., 2009; Wallberg et al., 2014). The Iberian black bee differs from the European black bee (A. m. mellifera) by the influence of the North African bee (A. m. intermissa), especially in the SW of the Iberian Peninsula, although the influence is less in the northern half of Spain (De la Rúa et al., 2009).

On April 27, 2024, a Federation of Associations of Iberian Black Bee Breeders (IBERIENSIS) was created in Spain to promote the breeding and improvement of the A. m. iberiensis in Spain and which, among its objectives, seeks its official recognition and inclusion in the Catalog of Livestock Breeds of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture.

The queens of UABee hives are marked with a colored dot placed on the upper part of the thorax, to facilitate their location and control. The color depends on the end of the year of birth of each queen and the international marking color code (1 and 6, white; 2 and 7, yellow; 3 and 8, red; 4 and 9, green; 5 and 0, blue). In the image you can see a queen marked in yellow (2022).

In the UABee hives, treatments against varroa (Varroa destructor) are carried out twice a year, taking advantage of the periods of decrease in queen laying that occur, in the environmental conditions of the UAB, in summer (beginning of August). and winter (solstice, December 21). Prior to each treatment, a count of the load of phoretic (external) varroa present is carried out, which serves to assess the need for a new treatment and the effectiveness of the previous treatment. To do this, 60-100 bees/hive are captured and the varroae are separated by immersion in alcohol-water (1:1). The small sample of bees collected is compensated by counting all the hives present. In all cases, all hives are sampled and treated simultaneously.

The treatment methods chosen are:

• Amitraz strips of 500 mg, 2 strips/hive and 1 strip/nucleus (Apivar, Calier, Les Franqueses del Vallés) for 8 weeks, as a reference method.

• Syrup with lithium chloride (25 mM LiCl solution in sugar syrup; Panreac AppliChem, Castellar del Vallés), offered freely for 1 week (1.08 g LiCl in 1 kg of sucrose syrup: 50% distilled water). The method is based on the studies of Ziegelmann et al. (2018).

Both methods have been compared during the years 2022-2023 and their final results are pending publication. The first results were published by Blanch (2022) and Caja et al. (2022). Everything seems to indicate the great effectiveness and safety of LiCl. Even though this is not a recommendation of its use.

The presence of the Asian hornet or velutina (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) in the Vallès Occidental region (Barcelona) was very scarce and its incidence for the apiaries was irrelevant in 2018, the year in which the first primary type nest was discovered and destroyed on the Campus from the UAB in Bellaterra (Caja et al., 2022).

In the spring of 2019, García del Pino and his team from the BABVE Department of the UAB began placing selective traps with attractants (Avispa'Clac, Biosix España, Camarles) on a massive scale on the UAB Campus to evaluate the capture. of velutina queens in spring. In the spring of that same year, the UABee experimental apiary was inaugurated.

The first attacks of velutinas on the hives were detected when carrying out the first honey harvest from the UABee apiary (July 2019), they worsened during the summer and continued until winter, reaching the point of penetrating the velutinas into several hives and destroying them. In October of that year, 2 large secondary nests were detected and removed on the UAB Campus, located 600 m away from the apiary. The detection of velutina nests in the populations near the UAB (Cerdanyola, Sant Cugat) was also high.

The situation worsened in 2020, in which numerous velutina queens were detected in the spring traps and strong attacks on the hives were observed during the summer. This led to the cancellation of the summer honey harvest and the urgent installation of 4 electric harps with power units connected to the network (Sanve USB).

In 2021, the capture of queens in the traps in spring was very high (n = 871) and 1 primary nest and 6 large secondary nests were detected and removed on the UAB Campus. Due to this, the defense of the hives was reinforced with a total of 6 harps and a powerful energy source (MTV2000, Victorelectrónica, Barcala) connected to the network and with nighttime disconnection. Despite this, the attacks continued to be massive and the fight against velutinas was complemented in the most serious moments with daily surveillance and the use of rackets.

The records of attacks and the number of velutinas killed during 2019-2023 have made it possible to establish a fighting calendar on the Bellaterra Campus that begins in July, peaks in October, and continues until November. The greatest intensity of attacks occurs in summer-autumn and coincides with the maximum population of larvae and workers in velutina nests (Caja et al., 2022).

It is estimated that bees represent between 40-80% of V. velutina's prey and that they carry out a daily predation of 25 bees/velutina, so each velutina nest has more than enough capacity to depopulate a medium-sized hive. However, its presence alters the behavior of bees and induces the so-called “piquera stop”, with serious impact and reduction in their foraging activity, estimated at 40% (Caja et al., 2022), as well as an increase in the prevalence of varroa (under study).

Currently, the fight against velutinas at UABee is a permanent task and is based on the use of traps with attractants in spring (queens) and autumn (gynes) and electric harps in summer-autumn (workers). The installation of metal mesh protective tunnels (simplified Koldo type) located in front of the shafts has also begun. 

In July 2024, at the proposal of the ASAB, we joined the pilot test on the use of Trojans through the with the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana under the coordination of X. Munill (Bufalvent, GI). The details of the test can be downloaded at Beauveria-velutina.

The best way to avoid bee stings is to wear complete protection when visiting the apiary. The risk is practically zero with good protection. The Iberian bee is more aggressive than other subspecies of A. mellifera and its aggressiveness increases depending on the season, time and situation of the hive (e.g. absence of a queen). To avoid disturbing the bees, we always try to stand behind the hives and avoid blocking the entrances to the beehive.

If you are stung, the stinger should be removed as soon as possible and the affected area treated. In addition, it is advisable to apply smoke around the area, in order to reduce the signal effect of the bee's pheromones and reduce the risk of attracting new stings.

The greatest risk is an allergic reaction to the bee sting, which increases with the number of stings received in an episode. However, it varies depending on the number and frequency of bites: those who are less bitten are at greater risk of developing an allergy. In case of allergy, it can disappear on its own, since constant bites can cause a decrease in antibodies in sensitized cells.

Bee sting allergy can appear at any time, but it usually manifests itself in the first 2 years of beekeeping activity or once more than 50 stings have accumulated. Symptoms usually appear with the first bites of spring (after a period without stings).

When to suspect a possible allergy (not all symptoms always appear):

• Abnormal discomfort after receiving a few bites (perhaps just one).

• Abnormal discomfort immediately after the bite (minutes).

• General discomfort with itching in the palms, soles, genitals, head...

• Extensive reddish rash on the skin

• Difficulty breathing, with possible throat discomfort, hoarseness or difficulty swallowing.

• Extreme weakness with inability to stand.

• Exaggerated swelling at the site of the bite or at a distance (lips, eyelids, hands...).

If this is the case, you should urgently notify a health service (doctor, primary care center, hospital...) and consult an allergist before working with bees again.

There is a procedure sheet to follow in case of stings, prepared by the SAS of the UAB, which it is recommended to consult and which can be downloaded freely here.