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Wild honeybee populations in the EU are on the Red List for the first time

Wild honeybee populations in the EU are on the Red List for the first time
Phys.org Thursday 17 September 2026, 15:20 UTC 1 min read
Key Points

Populations of the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) are under immense pressure in the wild in Europe. New research published in Conservation Science and Practice from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart and Agroscope in Zürich shows that there are frequent occurrences of honeybees in the wild in Europe. However, the researchers estimate that the populations of these bee populations in the European Union (EU) will fall by about 56% within 10 years without the influx of swarms from...

Populations of the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) are under immense pressure in the wild in Europe. New research published in Conservation Science and Practice from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart and Agroscope in Zürich shows that there are frequent occurrences of honeybees in the wild in Europe. However, the researchers estimate that the populations of these bee populations in the European Union (EU) will fall by about 56% within 10 years without the influx of swarms from beekeepers. Therefore, wild honeybees are now officially classified as "endangered" across the EU on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List.
EU (ORG) the Red List (ORG) Europe (LOCATION) Conservation Science and Practice (ORG) the University of Hohenheim (ORG) Stuttgart (LOCATION) Agroscope (LOCATION) Zürich (LOCATION) the European Union (ORG) the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (ORG) IUCN (LOCATION) Red List (ORG)
Originally published by Phys.org Read original →

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