The document summarizes the National Honey Monitoring Scheme (NHMS) run by CEH to monitor changes in honeybee foraging and health over time using citizen science. In year one, 400 beekeepers participated by providing honey samples that were analyzed using DNA sequencing to identify pollen species. Results found the top pollen species included bramble, field mustard/oilseed rape/brassicas, and sweet chestnut. There was regional variation in pollen diversity and species surrounding hives. The NHMS aims to expand methods to better determine floral origin of honey and continues to rely on citizen scientist participation.

1. The National Honey Monitoring Scheme: Using
citizen science to understand honeybees
Dr Anna Oliver

2. 1. Who are CEH?
2. Intro. to NHMS
3. YEAR 1 SUMMARY RESULTS- UK and regional
4. NHMS 2019
5. NERC/NHMS Innovation: Development of methods
to further investigate the floral origin of honey
6. Importance of Citizen Science to CEH/beekeepers
• PoMS and Asian Hornet Watch
Structure

3. CEH is the UK's centre of excellence
for research in the land and
freshwater environmental sciences

4. Our goal – to deliver solutions for today’s urgent
environmental problems to achieve
environmental sustainability
Our vision – to be the world-leading centre for
integrated science in terrestrial
and freshwater ecosystems

5. History of CEH

6. Resources

7. ANNA OLIVER
MOLECULAR BIOLOGIST, CEH WALLINGFORD
DEVELOP AND APPLY OUR UNDERSTANDING OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
TO ANSWER ECOLOGICAL QUESTIONS THAT UNDERPIN CEH’S
OBJECTIVES
NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING
AMPLICON SEQUENCING: BACTERIAL, FUNGAL, EUKARYOTIC (E.G. FISH, INVERTEBRATE
AND PLANT) DIVERSITY
WHOLE GENOME (VIRUS), METAGENOME (DNA: GENETIC POTENTIAL), TRANSCRIPTOME
(RNA: EXPRESSED GENES/FUNCTION)
QPCR (QUANTITATIVE PCR)
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS SPECIFIC GENES (E.G. SPECIES OR FUNCTION)

8. https://honey-monitoring.ac.uk/
Using honeybees to monitor long-term changes in the condition and health of the countryside
Richard Pywell, Lindsay Newbold, Ujala Syed, Dan Read, Jodey Peyton, Ben Woodcock, Jim Bacon, John Vanbreda, Mike
Brown and David Roy (head of Biological Records Centre, CEH)
Filtering team: Ellie Grove, Denise Pallett, Jenny Christelow and Jo Savage
Bioinformatics: Hyun Gweon Soon (University of Reading)

9. • 5+ year national capability research programme
• Unites NERC & BBSRC expertise with support from the
farming industry
• Develop new farming systems:
 Sustainable & efficient
 Ecologically-based
 Resilient to future shocks
• New understanding of factors
limiting crop yield & resilience
• Hydro-met services for agriculture
(soil moisture, soil temp etc.)
• Real-time crop yield monitoring
network
• Tools to explore how post-Brexit
policy and farming systems may
impact on key indicators
• Improved monitoring of at
landscape scale:
• National pesticide &
fertiliser application maps
• National Honey Monitoring
Scheme
• Community process model
predicting impacts of farming on
nutrient cycles at 1km scale
• Network of 20 commercial study
farms testing new farming
systems
• GHG flux tower network
• Soil survey of 570 arable fields to
explore management impacts on
carbon
• Leverage of additional funding
from BASF & Defra

10. Aims of the Scheme
1. Use DNA barcoding to analyse honey samples
• Identify pollen (flowers bees feeding on)
2. Identify differences (time of harvest, location etc.)
3. Identify changes over time
4. Link to performance of honeybee hives (mortality,
production, health etc.) and environmental factors (land
use, farming practises, pollinators, climate etc.)
5. Provide FREE information: Pollen content and habitat
6. Create a sample resource for future research
• Pesticide residues
• Current and emerging pathogens

11. How it works
• Simple web-based
scheme
• Co-designed with
BBKA/BFA
• Anonymised
• How to video
1) Create user account
2) Locate apiary on map
3) Request sample pack
4) Receive results
Provide additional details
on hive performance

12. Freepost
How it works
2) DNA extraction
from pollen in honey
4) Next generation
sequencing- millions
pollen DNA reads/run
1) Collection of honey
from comb
5) Bioinformatics:
comparison with
reference databases
to find match
3) Amplification of
plant-specific DNA
RESULTS
ARCHIVE

13. Plant specific gene: ITS
• ITS: Internal Transcribed Spacer of
nuclear ribosomal DNA (site of
biological protein synthesis
• Common barcoding gene
• Most comprehensive database
• No barcoding genes are
universal
• ID limited by the sequence
variation found within the
region and the quality of the
database
• Data we are providing CAN NOT be used for
certification purposes
• Can be used to monitor changes in foraging
habits

14. Taxonomic identification: E.g. Rubus
Kingdom: Plantae (plants)
– ~280,000 species
Division: Angiospermae (flowering plants)
– ~250,000 species
Order: Rosales (roses and their allies)
– ~18,000 species
Family: Rosaceae (rose family)
– 3,500 species
Genus: Rubus (Brambles)
– 250-700 species
– Brambles: Blackberries, raspberries
– Hybrids: Loganberries, tayberries
More specific
with higher
taxonomic
level
Sequence
confidence

15. NHMS outputs 1: Sugar and water content of honey
• Sugar content (%) measured in
Brix
• Typically 77-88%
• Moisture content (% water)
• 20% and below
Based on the refractive index- how the
sugar and water content of honey effects
the passage of light
Rough estimation- using a hand held
refractometer

16. NHMS outputs 2: Pollen species found in honey sample

17. NHMS outputs 3: Habitat and crops surrounding beehive
• Access to national maps of
land cover (habitats) and crops
based on satellite imagery
• CEH Land Cover ® 2015 and
Land Cover ® Plus Crops 2018
• Bespoke report for each hive
.

18. https://honey-monitoring.ac.uk/
YEAR 1

19. Round-up
• 400 beekeepers signed up
• 200 samples analysed &
results despatched
• Methodology refined:
• Sampling
• Wet lab/sequencing
• Data analysis
• Presentation of results

20. SO WHAT ARE BEES FORAGING ON
ACROSS THE UK?
SO WHAT ARE BEES
FORAGING ON ACROSS THE
UK?

21. The UK top 10 bee plants
11%
% Species/Genus
24.0 Bramble
11.2 field mustard/OSR/brassicas
10.7 Sweet chestnut
9.2 White clover
1.7 Borage
1.7 Wild radish
1.5 Privet
1.4 Himalayan Balsam
1.2 Forget-me-nots
1.0 Vetches and Broad beans
Medicinal properties-
protection against disease?

22. Weird and the wonderful
Ornamentals: Not on UK plant lists

23. Regional variation
Questions:
What diversity of pollen do we find?
Is this expected?
…. habitat type surrounding hive?
…. crops surrounding hives?
Only including those with 10 or more samples
NUTS1 regions:
Used by the UK’s Office for National Statistics

24. Pollen sequence richness
Richness: Diversity within a region- vertical (range), box (majority),
horizontal (average)
Large differences in diversity of plant taxa found in honey from different
regions: London highest, East of England most samples with a lower
diversity
% samples
East Midlands 4.7
East of England 15.1
London 6.4
North East 1.7
North West 5.8
Northern Ireland 0.5
Scotland 9.9
South East 24.4
South West 14
Wales 4.7
West Midlands 9.9
Yorkshire and the Humber 2.9

25. Broad habitat type surrounding hives
NB: based on
200m surrounding
each hive sampled
Only includes data
from samples we
have
NOT HABITAT FOR
REGION
HighestLowest
50% Arable and
horticulture
30% Urban
10% Coniferous
woodland
35% Suburban

26. Crop cover surrounding hives
• East of England: Lowest diversity samples linked to
dominant crop surrounding hives winter wheat?
• London: Highest diversity as lowest crop cover?

27. What is there?
• Very complex!
• 20 million sequence reads
More than 1000 different taxa
identified over the entire dataset
• A lot of data – hard to visualise at higher taxonomic level
• Broad differences order – genus level
• Use ecological statistics to look for detailed (statistically
significant) patterns, differences, responses etc.

28. Regional composition: Dominance
• 75% of total dataset for
samples within a region
• Most diversity will be seen
within the lower 25%
Number of dominant taxa:
East of England - 10
London - 5
North West - 7
Scotland - 10
South East - 10
South West - 6
Scotland most even distribution
of dominant taxa – less highly
dominated…..more varied broad
habitats?

29. Genus: Key players
Brassicas
Brambles
Trifolium
Castanea

30. Genus: Dominant within a region
Borage
Eucalyptus
Asparagus
Tree of heaven
Forget me nots
Plume thistles
Heather
Gorse
Willow
Hawthorn
Buddleia
Mignonette
Poplar

31. Future questions?
• How do they change over time?
• Why?
• Are any of these associated with hive
productivity/health
Please fill in additional information online - you will be
reminded to do so with status updates

32. Additional Information
Yield
– 2.2-150kg
Number of hives harvested
– 1-13
Time at location
– 1 month to a year or more
Hive losses
– 131
• Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
• Hampshire and Isle of Wight
• Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire

33. 2019
Ujala Syed

34. Timeline for 2019-20
Apr 2019
May 2019
Jun 2019
Jul 2019
Aug 2019
Sep 2019
Oct 2019
Nov 2019
Dec 2019
Jan 2020
Feb 2020
Mar 2020
Apr 2020
May 2020
Jun 2020
Jul 2020
Aug 2020
Sep 2020
Oct 2020
Nov 2020
Dec 2020
S/S 19
S/A 19
S/S 20
S/A 20
Spring/ early summer harvest sample collection and honey processing
Late summer/autumn harvest sample collection and honey processing
Molecular wet lab
Molecular bioinformatics and data analysis
Results made availble
Anticipated results from early
harvest December each year
Anticipated results from late
harvest June the following year

35. Sample tracking for participants
Message to beekeeper Status
We have received your request. A sample pack will be with you within 2 weeks. Pack requested
We have dispatched your sample pack. Pack sent
We have received your sample pack for analysis. Sugar/water measurements will be available within
one month.
Sample received
We have updated your records with sugar/water measurements from your honey sample. Your sample
will be batched with others for DNA analysis with results from spring samples available in December
and autumn samples in June of the following year.
Sugar results added
We have completed DNA sequencing of your sample in the laboratory and are processing the results
now. Results from spring samples will be available in December and autumn samples in June of the
following year.
Please update your online form to include yield and other information you feel is relevant to your
honey sample.
Sequencing complete
We have updated your records with plant identification data obtained from DNA analysis of your honey
sample. If you have not yet done so, please update your online form to include yield and other
information you feel is relevant to your honey sample.
Sequencing results
available

36. INNOVATION: FLORAL ORIGIN
Lindsay Newbold
Long term aim to offer a suite of services for
more detailed identification of the floral origin
of honey

37. Determining the floral origin of honey
Melissopalynology
Proxy for floral origin based solely upon pollen
• Pollen coefficients
New project: Dual approach
1. Molecular
• Increase number of genetic markers
• Single copy genes
• Increase the length sequenced
2. Chemical: Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)
• Develop database of FTIR signatures of different honeys, not based on
pollen content
• Look for common signatures
• Already established for detecting honey adulteration
• Evidence (rapeseed; Sidr; Manuka…)

38. • Connecting thousands of people to their environment
• High value to research and policy
• Take part via mobile apps or online recording
CITIZEN SCIENCE
https://www.ceh.ac.uk/citizen-science-apps

39. Importance of citizen science to CEH research
• Biological Recording Scheme (BRC)
• 1964: 10,000 species distribution maps
• UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS)
• Asian Hornet Watch App (invasive species)
• National Plant Monitoring Scheme (NPMS)
https://www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/projects/pollinator-monitoring
Recent CEH output made possible through public involvement

40. UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme
Funders & partners
• Aims to establish how pollinator populations are changing
• Focus on bees (including honeybees) and hoverflies, in
recognition of their functional importance as pollinators
• Flower-Insect Timed Count (FIT Count)
• Count ALL insects that land on target flowers within
50×50cm patch during 10-minute period
• Identify to group level using guides provided
• Urban and countryside locations – anyone can take
part!
• Intensive survey of pollinators & floral resources
• Network of 75 1km random survey squares
• Designed to detect broad GB-level changes in
abundance of pollinator groups and some species
Dr Claire Carvell, CEH Wallingford

41. Adopt a square!
• 1-person, 1-day protocol
• 4 visits per year
• Initial training visit with a
PoMS team mentor
• Pan-trapping 6hr (+ expert
species ID)
• FIT-Counts (2 per square)
• Simple habitat type and
flower counts
• All equipment and travel
expenses provided

42. How to get involved?
www.ceh.ac.uk/pollinator-monitoring
poms@ceh.ac.uk
BWARS
Bees, Wasps & Ants
Recording Society
• Visit the webpages for FIT Count guidelines and how-to videos
• Submit counts and records on iRecord
• Email us to join in with 1km square surveys
Twitter @PoMScheme

43. Pollinator threat : Asian hornet
• Native to China
• Arrived in pottery
consignment
Bordeaux, France
in 2004
• First sighted in UK
in 2016
Asian Hornet
Watch App
Professor Helen Roy, MBE - CEH Wallingford

44. 0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Numberofreports
2011 2012 2013 2014
2015 2016 2017 2018
Asian hornet surveillance

45. Successful eradication
• There have been fewer than ten
sightings of the Asian hornet and all
have been eradicated
• This year there was a sighting through
the online system on a Sunday and the
eradication took place the next day

46. Widespread losses of pollinating
insects in Britain
Gary D. Powney, Claire Carvell, Mike Edwards, Roger K.A. Morris,
Helen E. Roy, Ben A. Woodcock, Nick J.B. Isaac
@GaryPowney
Gary D. Powney, Claire Carvell, Mike Edwards, Roger K. A. Morris, Helen E. Roy, Ben A. Woodcock and Nick J. B. Isaac. 2019. Widespread losses of
pollinating insects in Britain. Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08974-9
Note: Wild pollinators, not honeybees, included in this study

47. • A third of wild pollinator
species declined in their
geographic range
between 1980 and 2013,
while a tenth increased
• On average, the
geographic range of bees
and hoverflies declined
by a quarter
• Value and continued
need for public
engagement in wildlife
recording

48. NHMS team thank you
All who provided pilot samples:
Emily Abbott (Hive and Keeper)
Ged Marshall (British Honey
Producers Ltd.)
Peter Martin
(Melissopalynologist)
BBKA and BFA
NHMS 2018 participants
Future participants
WE NEED YOU!
Pick up a postcard for details

49. Questions
https://honey-monitoring.ac.uk/
honey@ceh.ac.uk