Erasmus+ Supported Citizen Science on Bee-Relevant Flora: A Hungarian Field Study Informing Estonian Beekeeping

Abstract

This study presents a citizen science–based field survey of bee-relevant plant species conducted during a professional visit to the National Botanical Garden and Institute of Ecology and Botany. The aim was to document plant taxa of apicultural importance and to support cross-border knowledge transfer in beekeeping education between Hungary and Estonia within the framework of the Erasmus+ programme.

Beekeeping educators were divided into four working groups responsible for recording scientific (Latin), English, and Estonian plant names, photographic documentation, and key ecological and apicultural characteristics. The collected data were later integrated into a unified dataset. The recorded species were documented in a structured format, including multilingual nomenclature, resource type (nectar and/or pollen), and flowering periods in Estonia and Hungary.

The results highlight differences in flowering phenology between the two regions and demonstrate the value of collaborative, multilingual data collection in documenting bee forage plants. The approach supports applied learning and enhances the transferability of ecological knowledge across regions.

However, the study is limited by the botanical garden context, where curated plant collections may not represent typical regional flora. As a result, the observed species composition, flowering periods, and apicultural relevance may differ from those found in natural habitats. Further studies in more representative environments are recommended.

Overall, the study demonstrates the potential of citizen science and international collaboration in strengthening beekeeping education and improving the understanding of pollinator-supporting plant resources.