Land use, land use change and the ideal bee pasture in the perception of beekepers from Southern Transdanubia, Hungary
Abstract
What makes a landscape ideal for bee pasture? What is the current situation compared to that, how could it be improved and what consequences would it involve concerning nature conservation? These are a few of our questions asked from 129 beekeepers during the Transdanubian Regional Beekepers’ Conference in 2015, in Kaposvár, Hungary. Beyond the crops and forests as main sources of profit, most beekeepers regarded the role of diverse habitats rich in wild flowers extremely important for the health of the bee colony. Beekeepers formulated several recommendations on how to improve bee pastures, such as restoration of semi-natural habitats, conscious sowing of melliferous plants and greening of agriculture. Besides their benefits for apiculture, some of the recommended measures are beneficial for nature conservation too, because they enhance species and habitat diversity not only for the benefit of honeybees but also for that of wild pollinators.
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