-Europe harbours several endemic honeybee (Apis mellifera) subspecies. Yet the distribution of these subspecies is nowadays also much influenced by beekeeping activities. Large scale migratory beekeeping and trade in queens, coupled with the promiscuous mating system of honeybees, have exposed native European honeybees to increasing introgressive hybridization with managed non-native subspecies, which may lead to the loss of valuable combinations of traits shaped by natural selection. Other threats to European honeybees are factors that have caused a progressive decline in A. mellifera throughout the world in recent years, leading to large economic losses and jeopardizing ecosystem functioning. We review the biodiversity of European honeybees and summarize the management and conservation strategies employed by different countries. A comprehensive picture of the beekeeping industry in Europe is also provided. Finally we evaluate the potential threats affecting the biodiversity of European honeybee populations and provide some perspectives for future research.Apis mellifera / subspecies / biogeography / conservation / Europe / beekeeping

Although pollinator declines are a global biodiversity threat, the demography of the western honeybee (Apis mellifera) has not been considered by conservationists because it is biased by the activity of beekeepers. To fill this gap in pollinator decline censuses and to provide a broad Keywords:Apis mellifera, beekeeping, ecosystem functioning, honeybee conservation, land use, pollinator decline Estimación de la Densidad de Colonias de Abejas en su Rango Natural para Cerrar la Brecha en los Censos del DeclivePalabras Clave: apicultura, Apis mellifera, conservación de abejas, declive de polinizadores, funcionamiento del ecosistema, uso de suelo

No abstract

The genetic variability of Apis mellifera ligustica was screened throughout the Italian peninsula and Sardinia with eight polymorphic microsatellite loci. Samples of Apis mellifera mellifera, Apis mellifera carnica and from the Buckfast breeding line were genotyped for comparison. Low Fis and Fst values suggest the absence of genetic structure within and among A. m. ligustica populations, although the high number of alleles detected and heterozygosity. Phylogenetic and individual analyses confirmed that A. m. ligustica has come to resemble one large population, probably as a result of intensive beekeeping practices such as migratory beekeeping and large-scale commercial queen trading. Since the introgression of foreign alleles into both endemic natural and commercial A. m. ligustica populations, can be detected and monitored by microsatellite analysis, the results provide a reference data set for future local biodiversity conservation and other controlled breeding programs.