Mariia Fedoriak

Researchers and advisors in agriculture face general challenges in the dissemination of science-based information within agricultural extension, technology adoption and knowledge transfer (Aker, 20...

Rural landscapes face multiple challenges, but they can be attractive for developing nature-based tourism. Encouraging place-based participatory governance in local communities represents a relevant transdisciplinary landscape approach. In this study, we map (1) rural and touristic challenges and (2) coping strategies in peripheral–rural municipalities, and we (3) discuss the need for integration of local and regional-level actions. Two island and two mainland municipalities with different demographic profiles and different degrees of touristic specialization in the German Wadden Sea Region were selected as case studies. Through meetings and interviews we mapped perceived challenges and analyzed policies and other coping strategies. We then discuss the need for integration at multiple scales. Island municipalities were more exposed to tourism development challenges than mainland municipalities. Securing public services and welfare, and the sustainable conservation of ecological green infrastructures were particularly challenging. Applying a participatory approach was a coping strategy at the local level. However, there is a need for activities at multiple scales. In coping with rural development challenges, local level participatory approaches and regional planning complement each other. Combination and integration of local and regional-level concepts should be encouraged to support collaborative learning through evaluation.

Anthropogenic landscape transformations have promoted the provision of ecosystem services (ES) at the expense of other ES, biodiversity, and human well-being. We analysed the transformation portfolios of ES provisions, the costs of transformation, and the rivalry between ES categories and biodiversity conservation during the pre-communist and communist eras. We also examined EU influences in Romania’s Danube River lowlands. The environmental history of social-ecological systems was used to: (1) map transformations of natural environments; (2) analyse the outputs of human modes of production, including crops, fish, timber, and livestock, using economic valuation methods and by appropriating the primary means of production; and (3) describe ideologies and values as drivers of ES transformations. During the communist era, the surface area of the agricultural land increased at the expense of natural ecosystems. This resulted in increased provisions being made for crops and timber at the expense of the fish supply; it also caused a reduction in livestock. The costs of land reclamation, hydrotechnical works, and the use of fertilizers and pesticides, resulted in a net annual loss of EUR 36 million for the entire case study area, disregarding the losses of other ES. Achieving a balanced portfolio of ES requires a discussion about the need for nature restoration, transdisciplinary social-ecological research, and the identification of key leverage points.

This article presents managed honey bee colony loss rates over winter 2019/20 resulting from using the standardised COLOSS questionnaire in 37 countries. Six countries were from outside Europe, including, for the first time in this series of articles, New Zealand. The 30,491 beekeepers outside New Zealand reported 4.5% of colonies with unsolvable queen problems, 11.1% of colonies dead after winter and 2.6% lost through natural disaster. This gave an overall colony winter loss rate of 18.1%, higher than in the previous year. The winter loss rates varied greatly between countries, from 7.4% to 36.5%. 3216 beekeepers from New Zealand managing 297,345 colonies reported 10.5% losses for their 2019 winter (six months earlier than for other, Northern Hemisphere, countries). We modelled the risk of loss as a dead/empty colony or from unresolvable queen problems, for all countries except New Zealand. Overall, larger beekeeping operations with more than 50 colonies experienced significantly lower losses (p < 0.001). Migration was also highly significant (p < 0.001), with lower loss rates for operations migrating their colonies in the previous season. A higher proportion of new queens reduced the risk of colony winter loss (p < 0.001), suggesting that more queen replacement is better. All three factors, operation size, migration and proportion of young queens, were also included in a multivariable main effects quasi-binomial GLM and all three remained highly significant (p < 0.001). Detailed results for each country and overall are given in a table, and a map shows relative risks of winter loss at the regional level.

Arthropods are reported to serve as vectors of transmission of pathogenic microorganisms to humans, animals, and the environment. The aims of our study were (i) to identify the external bacteriota of spiders inhabiting a chicken farm and slaughterhouse and (ii) to detect antimicrobial resistance of the isolates. In total, 102 spiders of 14 species were collected from a chicken farm, slaughterhouse, and buildings located in west Slovakia in 2017. Samples were diluted in peptone buffered water, and Tryptone Soya Agar (TSA), Triple Sugar Agar (TSI), Blood Agar (BA), and Anaerobic Agar (AA) were used for inoculation. A total of 28 genera and 56 microbial species were isolated from the samples. The most abundant species were Bacillus pumilus (28 isolates) and B. thuringensis (28 isolates). The least isolated species were Rhodotorula mucilaginosa (one isolate), Kocuria rhizophila (two isolates), Paenibacillus polymyxa (two isolates), and Staphylococcus equorum (two isolates). There were differences in microbial composition between the samples originating from the slaughterhouse, chicken farm, and buildings. The majority of the bacterial isolates resistant to antibiotics were isolated from the chicken farm. The isolation of potentially pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella, Escherichia, and Salmonella spp., which possess multiple drug resistance, is of public health concern.

Beekeepers have various options to control the parasitic mite Varroa destructor in honey bee colonies, but no empirical data are available on the methods they apply in practice. We surveyed 28,409 beekeepers maintaining 507,641 colonies in 30 European countries concerning Varroa control methods. The set of 19 different Varroa diagnosis and control measures was taken from the annual COLOSS questionnaire on honey bee colony losses. The most frequent activities were monitoring of Varroa infestations, drone brood removal, various oxalic acid applications and formic acid applications. Correspondence analysis and hierarchical clustering on principal components showed that six Varroa control options (not necessarily the most used ones) significantly contribute to defining three distinctive clusters of countries in terms of Varroa control in Europe. Cluster I (eight Western European countries) is characterized by use of amitraz strips. Cluster II comprises 15 countries from Scandinavia, the Baltics, and Central-Southern Europe. This cluster is characterized by long-term formic acid treatments. Cluster III is characterized by dominant usage of amitraz fumigation and formed by seven Eastern European countries. The median number of different treatments applied per beekeeper was lowest in cluster III. Based on estimation of colony numbers in included countries, we extrapolated the proportions of colonies treated with different methods in Europe. This suggests that circa 62% of colonies in Europe are treated with amitraz, followed by oxalic acid for the next largest percentage of colonies. We discuss possible factors determining the choice of Varroa control measures in the different clusters.

Purpose. To estimate honey bee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758) colony winter loss rate for Ukraine after the winter 2019–2020 in the context of international COLOSS survey. Methods. Analysis of the results of the survey of Ukrainian beekeepers on A. mellifera colonies survival after the winter 2019-2020 by using the questionnaire developed by the coordinators of COLOSS international monitoring group. Unified approaches to data collection and statistical processing have been used. Valid protocols from 702 respondents from five physical-geographical zones of Ukraine have been analysed. Results. Honey bee colony winter loss rates for Ukraine after the winter 2019-2020 was 9.29%, the mortality rate was 5.41 %; the losses due to unsolvable queen problems – 2.19 %, and due to natural disasters – 1.69 %. The total losses in the steppe zone of Ukraine were 16.08%, significantly exceeding this indicator in the forest-steppe zone (8.94%), the zone of deciduous forests (6.73%) and the Ukrainian Carpathians (8.14%). The most common sign of dead colonies in Ukraine was the presence of a large number of dead bees in or in front of the hive (31.3 %) and unknown symptoms (37,3 %). The majority of Ukrainian beekeepers (50.7%) did not notice any difference in wintering of the colonies going into winter with a new queen in comparison with the old one. Among antivarroa drugs, the majority of respondents preferred products based on amitraz (fumigation – 50.8%, in plates – 15.7%) and flumethrin (20.0%). We confirmed statistically lower level of winter losses in colonies treated with amitraz (fumigation), whereas colonies treated with formic acid (long-term) had higher losses. Conclusions. Honey bee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758) colony winter loss rate for Ukraine after the winter 2019–2020 was 9.29% and decreased slightly compared to the last year (11.18%) and the year before last (11.26%). It was almost twice lower than the average for the countries participating in COLOSS international monitoring (18,1%) (Gray, 2021). The highest losses were observed in the steppe zone of Ukraine, whereas the lowest in the Ukrainian Carpathians. The smaller beekeeping operations with at most 50 colonies suffered significantly higher losses 12.66%) compared to medium and large ones (9.48% and 6.52%, respectively). The number of beekeepers treating colonies against varroosis was 90.6%, and all of them mentioned that they had pre-monitored the level of Varroa infestation.

The allelopathic potential of classical energy crops (Panicum virgatum L., Sorghum saccharatum (L.) Moench, hybrids ‘Zubr’ and ‘Medovyi’) was studied by the energy of germination of biotesters’ seeds and their biometric parameters, as well as the selection of sensitive biotesters and...