Beekeeping for Predicting Fungal Infections and Estimating the Harvest
GO APIS is a project that focuses on the study and use of honeybees (Apis mellifera) as environmental bioindicators
Bees act as tiny environmental sensors. Analyzing the pollen collected by bees will reveal which plant species are present in the area, how they change throughout the year, and their phenology. It will also make it possible to detect microplastics and study their “ entrance ” in the food chain through pollen and honey.
All of these data will be used to develop and validate automated and predictive models capable of identifying pollen and spores, anticipating their evolution, and predicting aspects related to crop phenology, diseases, and production. In addition, comparing the information obtained by the bees with that from the sensors will make it possible to study whether the hives themselves can be used as a simple and generalizable system for environmental bioindication.
General objective
BEES' HIVES
employment the use of beehives in viticulture as environmental bioindicators to aid in the control of fungal diseases and as an indicator for estimating the harvest.
Specific objectives
DETECTION
Detect spores of the most common fungal diseases in the vineyard by analyzing the hive debris and pollen from the hives, as well as through the “ employment ” of smart hives in the vineyard.
CONTROL
Implement a fungal disease control system in the vineyard that combines disease risk prediction models with data from the smart hives installed in the vineyard.
ESTIMATE
Establish harvest estimation models by counting the pollen collected by bees during the pollination stage.
MICROPLASTICS
To assess the possible presence of microplastics in the environment that may be transported and/or concentrated by pollinators in the vineyard.
ECONOMIC HEALTH
To understand the effect of bees on the ecological health of the vineyard through the promotion of fertility and biodiversity in the area resulting from their activity.
NATURAL YEASTS
To study the use of natural yeasts from the vineyard—stored by bees in bee bread (pollen and honey containing enzymes that trigger lactic fermentation)—during the winter months in the winemaking process.
Principal Investigators
Arturo Ariño
coordinator and IP
BIOMA Institute Team
Duration:
October 1, 2025 – April 30, 2029
Funding:
595,878.84 euros - MAPA – Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food
Location:
Navarre and the Basque Country
core topic
WHY IS THIS project NECESSARY?
The vineyard is susceptible to fungal diseases that can spread rapidly and cause significant yield losses. Furthermore, this often necessitates the use of phytosanitary treatments, which entail costs for the farms and—if applied preventively or in a non-targeted manner—can increase pressure on biodiversity and the environment.
GO APIS was created precisely to move toward a more preventive and precision-based approach to viticulture. Bees act as environmental biosensors: during their flights, they collect pollen, spores, particles, and other materials present in the environment and carry them back to the hive. The idea is to detect earlier what is happening in the vineyard and to have objective information that helps determine when there is a real risk of disease and when action is necessary. The project is studying whether this natural ability can be harnessed to obtain useful information about the health of the vineyard.
WHAT SOLUTIONS IS THIS CONTRACT STUDYING?
The main innovation involves using bees and beehives as a natural network for sampling the territory. Pollen, beehive debris, and other samples from the hives will be analyzed. These results will be compared with conventional aerobiological collectors and with automated systems based on artificial intelligence, so that it can be determined which tools are faster, more reliable, and more applicable under real-world growing conditions.
In addition, the project will integrate this information with meteorological data , vineyard phenology, and risk prediction models, creating tools that can anticipate periods with the highest probability of infection. It is not, therefore, merely a matter of detecting a single spore, but rather of combining different sources of information to improve decision-making in the field.
GO-APIS is also exploring other applications of this same information: using pollen collected by bees to develop models for estimating the grape harvest, characterizing the plant biodiversity surrounding the vineyard, and studying whether bees can transport or concentrate environmental microplastics by analyzing their presence in pollen and honey.
HOW DOES THIS CONTRACT AFFECT THE COMPANY?
The main expected benefit is to contribute to more efficient, sustainable, and data-based agriculture. If fungal diseases can be detected earlier and the risk can be estimated more accurately, winegrowers could apply treatments only when necessary and at the most appropriate time. This can reduce production costs while also decreasing the unnecessary use of plant protection products.
The benefit extends beyond wineries. Reducing the employment of chemicals and implementing more precise vineyard management can lessen the pressure on pollinators, beneficial fauna, and soil microorganisms, while also promoting biodiversity and the ecosystem services associated with vineyards, moving toward more environmentally sustainable management.
Finally, GO APIS proposes a “ model ” that could be applied to other agricultural operations. Turning bees into allies for gathering information on the condition of crops involves harnessing a biological process that already occurs naturally and transforming it into a “ tool ” for precision agriculture, with the potential to improve the competitiveness of the agri-food sector, protect the environment, and contribute to more sustainable food production.