Density of wild honey bee, Apis mellifera, colonies worldwide.

ABSTRACT: The western honey bee, Apis mellifera, lives worldwide in approximately 102 million managed hives but also wild throughout much of its native and introduced range. Despite the global importance of A. mellifera as a crop pollinator, wild colonies have received comparatively little attention in the scientific literature and basic information regarding their density and abundance is scattered. Here, we review 40 studies that have quantified wild colony density directly (n = 33) or indirectly using genetic markers (n = 7) and analyse data from 41 locations worldwide to identify factors that influence wild colony density. We also compare the density of wild and managed colonies at a regional scale using data on managed colonies from the Food and Agriculture Organizat

SUBMITTER: Visick OD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10568204 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature