Better‑B is working to help beekeepers protect their colonies from the challenges brought by climate change. Increasingly frequent extreme weather events - such as heat waves - can make it harder for honeybee colonies to maintain stable hive temperatures. Through several test stations and field trials, we are studying the physical factors that support better hive thermoregulation and exploring practical ways beekeepers can adapt hive designs to local environmental conditions. For more information you can read this newsletter or watch this video.

To deepen our understanding of what truly works in real-world beekeeping, we have created a short survey, and we would greatly appreciate your input.

We invite all beekeepers to share their experiences with hive design, including those who have not made any modifications. Knowing what you have tried over the years and equally, why you haven’t helps us build a clearer picture of which approaches are useful, practical, bee‑friendly, and suited to real‑world beekeeping.
Take the survey

By completing the survey (available in several European languages), you will contribute to identifying effective ideas that can be shared with beekeepers across Europe. We will publish a handbook about how beehives can be improved, based on our work and insights gained from answers to the survey.

The survey is anonymous and takes about 15 minutes to complete. If you are a beekeeper, please use the link below or QR code to take part. We also encourage you to share the survey within your networks, the more voices we hear, the better.

We are pleased to announce that the 2025 report on our citizen science study is now available for download on its dedicated page. There, you will find more information not only about the study itself, but also about how to participate if you find it interesting. Enjoy reading!

A broader understanding of honey bee immunity is crucial, given the numerous threats modern honey bees are facing. Hemocytes play a central role in immune responses, making it essential to identify the different hemocyte subtypes.

In our new paper, we explored the hemocyte surfaceome using proteomics and transcriptomics. This work takes the first step towards an objective, marker-based classification of honey bee hemocytes by proposing candidate cell surface markers.

Surprisingly, our gene ontology analysis revealed the term “odorant receptor activity”, typically associated with sensory neurons. This raises questions about whether hemocytes may use similar receptors to sense environmental or pathogen-derived signals.

This study provides a foundation for future research into honey bee immunity and the development of monoclonal antibodies for immunophenotyping.

Want to know what happened at our latest public event in Marchamalo, Spain? Visit our its dedicated page to watch videos of all the presentations!

APIMONDIA 2025 wrapped up last weekend with the World Café on resilient beekeeping and plenty of other Better-B related activities. Below are a few more snapshots: the World Café (top picture), the Better-B booth, and the demonstrations that took place there (bottom picture).