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The EU has long-recognised the functions and contributions of beekeeping in sustainable rural area development. In 2018, the EU adopted the Pollinator Initiative to strengthen its pollinator conservation policies. To support the design of effective rural development actions, this work describes and tests an easy-to-apply, mixed-method tool for use with SWOT analysis. A two-step methodology was trialled with beekeepers in Piedmont Region (NW Italy). In step one, two independent groups of beekeepers operating in separate protected and intensive agricultural areas completed a SWOT matrix. In step two, three expert panels (beekeeper association leaders, honey market organisation leaders, and entomologists) prioritised the effects of the SWOT items with a quantitative weighting and rating process. Results suggest that the sector needs better-targeted incentives and that ‘soft’ policies on extension, advisory, and institutional measures could play a relevant role. The method was also confirmed as suitable for use with non-expert evaluators, such as policy officers and practitioners.
Silvia Novelli; Monica Vercelli; Chiara Ferracini. An Easy Mixed-Method Analysis Tool to Support Rural Development Strategy Decision-Making for Beekeeping. Land 2021, 10, 675 .
AMA StyleSilvia Novelli, Monica Vercelli, Chiara Ferracini. An Easy Mixed-Method Analysis Tool to Support Rural Development Strategy Decision-Making for Beekeeping. Land. 2021; 10 (7):675.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSilvia Novelli; Monica Vercelli; Chiara Ferracini. 2021. "An Easy Mixed-Method Analysis Tool to Support Rural Development Strategy Decision-Making for Beekeeping." Land 10, no. 7: 675.
(1) Background: Bees are the primary animal pollinators in most ecosystems, and honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) are important providers of pollination ecosystem services and products. Climate change is one of the major threats for honey bees. (2) Objectives and methods: Qualitative research using focus group discussions was carried out in northwestern Italy, to investigate the beekeepers’ perceptions of climate change effects, the relevant management adaptations, and the main issues affecting the sector. (3) Results: Beekeepers reported several consequences related to severe weather events (weakening or loss of colonies; scarcity of nectar, pollen, and honeydew; decrease or lack of honey and other bee products; greater infestation by varroa; decline in pollination), making it necessary to provide supplemental sugar feeding, intensive transhumance, more effective and sustainable techniques for varroa control, and increased production of nuclei. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis was completed, displaying the factors able to strengthen or weaken the resilience of the beekeeping sector to climate change. (4) Conclusions: Thanks to their strong motivation and collaborative attitude, beekeepers succeed in adopting farm and bee hive adaptation strategies that are able to limit the climatic adverse effects. However, these findings highlight how the institutional and financial support for the beekeeping sector should be strengthened and better targeted.
Monica Vercelli; Silvia Novelli; Paola Ferrazzi; Giada Lentini; Chiara Ferracini. A Qualitative Analysis of Beekeepers’ Perceptions and Farm Management Adaptations to the Impact of Climate Change on Honey Bees. Insects 2021, 12, 228 .
AMA StyleMonica Vercelli, Silvia Novelli, Paola Ferrazzi, Giada Lentini, Chiara Ferracini. A Qualitative Analysis of Beekeepers’ Perceptions and Farm Management Adaptations to the Impact of Climate Change on Honey Bees. Insects. 2021; 12 (3):228.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMonica Vercelli; Silvia Novelli; Paola Ferrazzi; Giada Lentini; Chiara Ferracini. 2021. "A Qualitative Analysis of Beekeepers’ Perceptions and Farm Management Adaptations to the Impact of Climate Change on Honey Bees." Insects 12, no. 3: 228.
For beekeepers, the beehive stock represents a fundamental means of ensuring the continuity of their activity, whether they are professionals or hobbyists. The evaluation of this asset for economic purposes requires knowledge of the rhythms and adaptations of honey bee colonies during the annual seasons. As in any breeding activity, it is necessary to establish the numerical and economic size of the species bred. Beekeepers are interested in this evaluation to monitor beehive stock. For keeping economic accounts of stock, a specific tool has been developed and proposed, here called the “Honey Bee Colony Inventory (HBCI)”. The HBCI can be used as either a final or preventive scheme to assess the numbers of honey bee colonies and nuclei, and the mortality rate, in order to calculate the monetary value. This tool allows the strength of honey bee colony stocks to be monitored, including fluctuations throughout the year, and will prove useful for determining solutions to maintain or increase how long stocks last. Data can be registered in countries such as Italy where the veterinary authorities request data on the stock owned and its variations. Due to widespread Varroa mite infestations, in recent years, beekeepers have experimented with a range of different biotechniques that have included queen caging as well as drone and total brood removal. To verify its effectiveness for gathering honey bee colony data, the HBCI was used in nine beekeeping farms applying different biotechniques to control Varroa mites: chemical treatment, total brood removal, queen caging and old queen replacement by royal cell insertion. The results are compared and discussed. Out of the nine farms, seven showed negative monetary value according to the HBCI, as expected, due to multiple factors such as the unfavorable climate trend of 2017 in the studied area. The positive aspect is that the application of this tool will allow farmers to monitor, manage and maintain their beehive stocks.
Monica Vercelli; Luca Croce; Teresina Mancuso. An Economic Approach to Assess the Annual Stock in Beekeeping Farms: The Honey Bee Colony Inventory Tool. Sustainability 2020, 12, 9258 .
AMA StyleMonica Vercelli, Luca Croce, Teresina Mancuso. An Economic Approach to Assess the Annual Stock in Beekeeping Farms: The Honey Bee Colony Inventory Tool. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (21):9258.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMonica Vercelli; Luca Croce; Teresina Mancuso. 2020. "An Economic Approach to Assess the Annual Stock in Beekeeping Farms: The Honey Bee Colony Inventory Tool." Sustainability 12, no. 21: 9258.
Honey bee colonies are affected by many threats, and the Varroa mite represents one of the most important causes of honey bee disease. The control of the Varroa population is managed by different methods, and in recent years, biotechnical practices are considered preferable to chemical approaches in order to safeguard honey bee health and avoid residues in bee products as well as the appearance of acaricide resistance. However, little is known about the economic performance of beekeeping exploitations in relation to the methods used for tackling Varroa. This study aims to investigate the economic impact of total brood removal (TBR) as a biotechnique to keep Varroa mites under control, and compare this to other common biotechniques and chemical Varroa control in numerous Italian beekeeping case studies. A pool of economic and technical indexes was proposed. The proposed index pool can be included in the development of an expert system (such as a decision support system) able to address the optimal management of this very complex activity, which requires natural resources, land protection, capital and high technical skills. The result showed that the adoption of the TBR biotechnique vs. other biotechniques led to an increase in terms of total revenue (increase values ranging from 11% to 28%) even though more labor is needed (increase values ranging from 43 to 83 min/hive) and a loss of honey production could be recorded in some cases. Additionally, the total expenses, represented mainly by supplemental nutrition and treatments with oxalic acid, affected the economic results of the biotechnical practices. The use of biotechniques vs. chemical control resulted in decreased treatment costs and increased feeding costs. The advantages resulting from not using synthetic acaricides (which are dangerous for honey bee and human health as well as the environment) as well as the advantages linked to the production of new nuclei (which are involved in the maintenance of bee stock and counteract the decline in honey bee population) and pollination ecosystem services could make beekeeping farms more resilient over time.
Teresina Mancuso; Luca Croce; Monica Vercelli. Total Brood Removal and Other Biotechniques for the Sustainable Control of Varroa Mites in Honey Bee Colonies: Economic Impact in Beekeeping Farm Case Studies in Northwestern Italy. Sustainability 2020, 12, 2302 .
AMA StyleTeresina Mancuso, Luca Croce, Monica Vercelli. Total Brood Removal and Other Biotechniques for the Sustainable Control of Varroa Mites in Honey Bee Colonies: Economic Impact in Beekeeping Farm Case Studies in Northwestern Italy. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (6):2302.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTeresina Mancuso; Luca Croce; Monica Vercelli. 2020. "Total Brood Removal and Other Biotechniques for the Sustainable Control of Varroa Mites in Honey Bee Colonies: Economic Impact in Beekeeping Farm Case Studies in Northwestern Italy." Sustainability 12, no. 6: 2302.
Silicon (Si) is one of the most beneficial microelements for several plants, in mediating the growth regulation in horticultural species. This research evaluated the effects of innovative Si-applications on. soilless-grown Cucumis sativus L. and Cucurbita pepo L. Crop growth, powdery mildew incidence and abiotic stress resistance were evaluated. Two experiments were carried out in a nonheated glasshouse on benches. Two new Si treatments (Si–Nanosponge complex, and one experimental fertilizer) were compared with the traditional K2SiO3. Topas® EC 10 was used as control fungicide treatment. Biometric parameters, and incidence and severity of powdery mildew were measured. Cucumis sativus plants showed a severe powdery mildew infection, and no significant effect of the Si treatments was found. Cucurbita pepo plants were initially grown under lower disease pressure conditions, and the positive effect of Si treatments was found. The innovative use of Si–Nanosponge complex and the new experimental fertilizer can be considered a good alternative to traditional compounds for plant growth stimulation.
Monica Vercelli; Andrea Minuto; Giovanni Minuto; Valeria Contartese; Marco Devecchi; Federica Larcher. The effects of innovative silicon applications on growth and powdery mildew control in soilless-grown cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.). Acta Physiologiae Plantarum 2017, 39, 129 .
AMA StyleMonica Vercelli, Andrea Minuto, Giovanni Minuto, Valeria Contartese, Marco Devecchi, Federica Larcher. The effects of innovative silicon applications on growth and powdery mildew control in soilless-grown cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.). Acta Physiologiae Plantarum. 2017; 39 (6):129.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMonica Vercelli; Andrea Minuto; Giovanni Minuto; Valeria Contartese; Marco Devecchi; Federica Larcher. 2017. "The effects of innovative silicon applications on growth and powdery mildew control in soilless-grown cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.)." Acta Physiologiae Plantarum 39, no. 6: 129.
The effects of Perilla frutescens pollination on the content of seed antioxidants were analysed by agronomical and pollination trials, comparing seeds produced from bagged plants in 2013 (A) to prevent access to pollinating insects, and seeds from open-pollinated plants in 2013 (B) and 2015 (C). The seeds of open-pollinated plants were significantly more numerous and heavier than those of self-pollinated plants. H NMR seed analysis showed a higher presence of phenolic compounds in open-pollinated seeds, mainly rosmarinic acid and flavonoids, apigenin and luteolin. Flavonoids were present in the glucosylated form in seeds (A) and (C), and in the aglycone form in seeds from (B) plants. Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (palmitic, linoleic and linolenic) were more abundant in seeds from self-pollinated flowers. Pollination performed almost exclusively by the honeybee notably increased the antioxidant content in perilla seeds and gave rise to a reduction in the fatty acid content.
Paola Ferrazzi; Monica Vercelli; Amina Chakir; Abderrahmane Romane; Monica Mattana; Roberto Consonni. Pollination effects on antioxidant content of Perilla frutescens seeds analysed by NMR spectroscopy. Natural Product Research 2017, 31, 2705 -2711.
AMA StylePaola Ferrazzi, Monica Vercelli, Amina Chakir, Abderrahmane Romane, Monica Mattana, Roberto Consonni. Pollination effects on antioxidant content of Perilla frutescens seeds analysed by NMR spectroscopy. Natural Product Research. 2017; 31 (23):2705-2711.
Chicago/Turabian StylePaola Ferrazzi; Monica Vercelli; Amina Chakir; Abderrahmane Romane; Monica Mattana; Roberto Consonni. 2017. "Pollination effects on antioxidant content of Perilla frutescens seeds analysed by NMR spectroscopy." Natural Product Research 31, no. 23: 2705-2711.