ZwarteBij
ZwarteBij.org is primarily focused on the conservation of the native dark honeybee through its project in National Park Bosland in Flanders, Belgium.
The organisation’s membership remains stable, with a significant proportion of its members based in the Netherlands.
Alongside its conservation work, ZwarteBij takes part in a range of public-awareness activities. These include plant and bee fairs, demonstration days, information talks, public reporting on the progress of the project, and participation in government evaluation and auditing processes.
Developments in 2025
The conservation project experienced both encouraging and challenging developments during 2025.
A major concern was the unusually early predation of project colonies by Asian hornets, also known as yellow-legged hornets or Vespa velutina nigrithorax.
This caused some colonies to become effectively paralysed, with bees no longer flying, and had a negative impact on winter survival during 2025–2026.
Enough colonies survived for the conservation population to continue. However, managing this new threat has now become a major focus of hive management for the coming years.
More positively, continued regional and European Union support for the programme was approved through to the end of 2027, in line with the EU Common Agricultural Policy. The work is also supported by Ghent University and KU Leuven.
The project has additionally expanded its research into the late-summer natural brood stop observed in this local honeybee ecotype, which generally occurs between September and November.
Contact:
info@zwartebij.org
Website:
ZwarteBij.org