Wild honeybee colonies, which scientists believed to be extinct in Europe, have just been added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List. A group of researchers, Honey Bee Watch, resumed the study of these colonies and demonstrated their continued existence in various European Union countries. They nest in tree cavities, chimneys and roof edges, hollow statues, castles, and even abandoned mailboxes. The fragmentary data that existed in Europe on wild honeybees has been compiled, organized, and expanded. Elsewhere in the world, data remains very scattered.
Protecting wild honeybees that survive without human intervention from known biotic pressures (e.g., parasites, predators, pathogens) offers hope for the conservation of the species. Wild honeybees have demonstrated resilience and can be seen as a genetic and ecological reservoir, a potential nature-based solution to help beekeeping cope with global changes.
Fabrice Requier (Pôle Ecologie) wrote an article on this topic: https://www.abeillesenliberte.fr/classement-sur-la-liste-rouge-de-luicn-un-tournant-pour-les-abeilles-melliferes-sauvages/
