Research projects

As many as 84% of crops grown in Europe depend at least partly on insect pollination. Pollination affects not only the quantity but also the quality of agricultural production. In addition to the honey bee, wild pollinators play a very important role and are often even more efficient. Maintaining pollinator diversity is therefore crucial for reliable pollination, stable agricultural production and the conservation of biodiversity.

Among wild pollinators, the most important are wild bees, including bumblebees and solitary bees, while flies, butterflies and other insects also play an important role. While honey bee populations in Europe are not declining and are even increasing in some countries, including Slovenia, the abundance and diversity of wild pollinators are decreasing. The main threats include lack of food resources, pesticide use, climate change, lack of suitable nesting sites, diseases and invasive alien species.

Declines in wild bee populations have also been observed in Slovenia, but it has not yet been investigated whether this is already affecting the quality of pollination in agriculture. There is also no strategy for managing pollinator populations to ensure reliable pollination in agriculture and the conservation of biodiversity.

The project will therefore review and analyse the pollination needs of Slovenian agriculture and existing data on the status of pollinators. In selected orchards and arable fields, we will investigate the status of pollinators and measure potential pollination deficits. Based on the results, we will propose measures to ensure sufficient pollination of crops and develop a proposal for monitoring pollinators and pollination in agriculture.

The project will also review agricultural policy measures, identify those that positively or negatively affect pollinators and pollination, and propose possible improvements. The knowledge gained will be disseminated to different target groups, including farmers, beekeepers, agricultural advisers and agricultural policy makers.

The ultimate goal of the project is to contribute to reliable pollination, improve the status of biodiversity, and enhance the competitiveness and sustainable development of Slovenian agriculture. The project will also contribute to Slovenia, as the initiator of World Bee Day, becoming a model for the sustainable management of pollinator diversity to ensure reliable food production and biodiversity conservation.

Project objectives

The main objectives of the project are:

1. to review and analyse the status of pollination in Slovenia;
2. to investigate the status of pollinators in selected orchards and arable fields;
3. to measure potential pollination deficits;
4. to propose measures to ensure sufficient pollination of crops;
5. to complement the monitoring of wild pollinators in Slovenia;
6. to propose agricultural policy measures to ensure sufficient pollination of crops and improve the status of biodiversity;
7. to disseminate knowledge on pollinator conservation in agriculture to different target groups and thus contribute to the competitiveness and sustainable development of Slovenian agriculture.