The COLOSS BEEBOOK – an example of standard methods in insect research

Abstract

Honey bees play an essential role in modern agriculture as farm animals and crop pollinators, and they contribute to one third of our diet. Over the last few decades, managed honey bees have faced large-scale losses worldwide. Various causes include the spread of pathogens and parasites, habitat loss and loss of forage, pesticide use, and climate change. Many scientists investigated these issues worldwide separately and independently, often using different methodologies, and this approach might lead to conflicting and sometimes erroneous findings. To provide global and sustainable solutions, a group of bee scientists established COLOSS, a non-profit association for the prevention of honey bee COlony LOSSes. Its mission is to investigate the causes of declining bee health and find effective means to improve the well-being of bees. COLOSS comprises various Core Projects and Task Forces focusing on specific topics identified by the association to receive priority attention. Among the core projects, the COLOSS BEEBOOK is a unique venture aiming to provide a standardised methods manual for studying the honey bee. The project’s goal has been to create a comprehensive collection of established methods and techniques for honey bee research, with the aim of making studies conducted by different groups across the world more comparable. The resulting practical manual contains over 2,000 standardized methods across all fields of honey bee research. It is definitive, but evolving, research manual. There is a strong need for standardisation in the fast-growing field of edible insect farming and research. The COLOSS BEEBOOK stands as a testament to the achievements that can be made when researchers collaborate towards a common goal, and it can serve as an inspiration for the establishment of standardized methods for the mass rearing of edible insects.