The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a human-managed insect playing a pivotal role in crop and wild plant pollination. Thanks to its activity, crops improve qualitatively and quantitatively and plants protect themselves against pests. FAO estimated that approx. one-third of all plants or plant products consumed by humans and used for animal feeding depend directly or indirectly on bee pollination. Additionally, honey bees produce honey -a traditional ingredient of the Mediterranean diet-, pollen, wax, royal jelly, propolis, and apitoxin. Beekeeping provides subsistence to hundreds of thousands of beekeepers in the Mediterranean area. This activity is supported by a range of different native subspecies, which evolved as a result of environmental selection. Actions directed to the conservation of A. mellifera subspecies in the Mediterranean are expected to promote quantity and quality of crops, with a direct increase in food availability, therefore contributing to tackling the problem of food security in an efficient, cost-effective and sustainable way. However, climate change is expected to increase the stress factors affecting the bees, especially in this region, reducing both pollination efficiency and production potential. Unfortunately, our ability to tackle this problem is limited by our incomplete understanding of the natural adaptation mechanisms developed by the different subspecies, and so the basic knowledge needed for future selection programs aiming to improve bee stocks for environmental changes. The goals of the MEDIBEES project are to a) unravel the differential genetic background of the Mediterranean subspecies, b) understand their adaptation to the local conditions, and c) characterize their resilience to climate change. Besides, the valorization of honey and beekeeping by-products will be approached to help the beekeepers improve both income and sustainability of their activity. The project includes 9 partners from 8 Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey), covering a remarkable and poorly understood proportion of A. mellifera genetic diversity, i.e. 10 local subspecies adapted to highly diverse conditions of the region. To reach the objectives, both phenotype of colonies belonging to local honey bee subspecies and environmental conditions will be monitored at each testing site. Laboratory assays exposing individual bees to the main stressors will allow us to comparatively evaluate the subspecies adaptation and understand how individual traits convert into colony resilience. This will be approached by studies covering survival, sensitivity to pests/pathogens, behavior, physiology, and reproduction using gene expression and transcriptomic assays. The genotype of samples from field and laboratory assays will be studied to develop new genetic tools (SNP panels) aiming to genetically characterize honey bee populations for resilience to environmental stressors. This effort will encourage the use of local subspecies, hinder the import of foreign breeds, and put the basis for future selection programs. Melissopalynologycal and sensory analysis of honey samples from different countries will help promote local honey. Assays on the potential use in agriculture of organic by-products from the apiculture industry will evaluate their effect on soil fertility and biota. This project aims to generate new knowledge on the genetics of bees and their adaptation to climate change, develop new genetic tools to promote the selection of climate change-resilient A. mellifera breeds, train beekeepers (directly involved in the project) to use Good Management Practices and valorize beekeeping products and by-products. Knowledge and tools developed in the project will be shared between the partners, to increase the laboratory expertise in each country. These actions will contribute to guarantee food security, nutrition, health, wellbeing, and mitigate migration problems upstream.

Impact sector: Climate change and biodiversity, Agriculture and fisheries and forestry, Beekeeping sector

Outcome target group: i. Researchers, educators, and policy-makers: these stakeholders have been addressed in section 2.2.a). ii. Beekeepers: They will be informed about the benefits of using local honeybee breeds and the value of local beekeeping products and by-products. They will be updated about new tools developed and Good Beekeeping Practices. They will have access also to information about the conservation status of native honeybee breeds in their area, the opportunities to add value to their productions, and to the future development of breeding programs. iii. Farmers: They will know the possible use of beekeeping by-products to improve soil conditions and fertility. iv. Consumers: They will be educated to appreciate honey from different/typical origin. This will raise the opportunity to create future Quality labels, also thanks to new tools for honey authentication and fraud detection that are being developed. v. General public: This will be addressed in that conservation of honeybees is of general concern. As generalist pollinators, they help tackle the problem of the food security and the ever-growing food demand by their pivotal contribution to food production. Besides, the project intends to develop sustainable beekeeping by promoting respectful farming intensity, preventing/limiting pollution, reducing the overexploitation of natural resources, and contributing to the circular economy.

Implemented best practices (BPiMED): Living Labs