Welcome, you found yourself here up by surfing or by scanning the QR code on the information panel at one of the Arista hives or one of the Arista honey jars. On this page you can read more about what the Arista sponsor hive project entails. You can also find out more about our program scrolling browsing this website of Arista Bee Research.

Bee colony in action

A bee colony consists of one queen, tens of thousands of workers (♀) and a few thousand drones (♂). The queen’s main task is to lay eggs and she is at the basis of the survival of the colony. The workers live up to their name; they have a range of tasks including caring for the brood, building the combs, caring for the queen, guarding the entrance and even feeding the drones. They collect nectar, pollen and resin and process this into honey, wax, nutrition for the brood and propolis.

The Varroa mite… the destructive enemy of the honeybee

Bee mortality is mainly caused by infection with the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. This mite reproduces in the brood of bees. Not only do they feed on the pupae, causing them to weaken during their development to bee, but they also transmit a large number of pathogenic viruses and bacteria.

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Bee colonies are chemically treated several times a year; without treatment against the mite, the bee colonies die within 3 years. But even with the chemical treatment, 10-40% of the bee colonies die annually from the infection with the mite.

These chemicals can leave toxic residues in the wax and honey. The Varroa mite develops a resistance to all effective chemical pesticides on the market and no new pesticides have yet been developed. In addition, the bees weaken due to the pesticides and acids used in the hives.

Chemical treatments offer only a temporary solution.

Together with beekeepers …

Arista Bee Research has developed a VSH breeding and selection program, which is now the basis for a program that is being rolled out in the USA and in nine countries of Europe.

A participating breeder/beekeeper starts with his own, initially low-resistant, bee colonies. Through the described Arista methods, resistance increases every year, in small steps.

A this way obtained completely resistant colony then is the basis for further distribution to other beekeepers (via mating stations, inseminations, etc.). The total selection program consists of a large number of repeating “mini-programs” so that ultimately there is a broad biodiversity in the total population for the existing breeds and subspecies (i.e. Buckfast, Carnica, Black Bee).

… and the adoption of Arista hives

To guide the growing number of participating beekeepers and countries, financial resources are needed for project leaders, workspaces, beehives and equipment. By adopting a specially equipped Arista hive, companies, individuals and institutions can participate in and contribute to the breeding program.

Sponsor a special hive – how does it work?

• The Arista hive with Varroa resistant queen is placed on the sponsor’s property.

• This can be a hive in the Arista colors or in the colors of your own company or institution.

• The hive is fully maintained by Arista & partners.

• The hive is checked for the degree of Varroa infestation, honey production etc. The sponsor can follow the cabinet on an internet dashboard with updates on how the cabinet is doing. This includes sensors that measure the weight (honey flow and use), the number of outgoing and incoming bees and the temperature in the brood.

• The best queens are used in the program for the breeding of the next generation.

• The drones from this hive will spread the Varroa resistant behavior in the vicinity of the hive through natural mating.

• The sponsor amount for an Arista hive is € 5000 per year. About a third of this amount is used for the Arista hive, the queen, the bees and maintenance. The largest part is used for the implementation of the breeding program and applied research (project leaders, support for beekeepers in implementation and education of the program, housing the Foundation).

• The sponsor receives 50 jars of honey (250 gr) with its own label (logo) as a promotional gift.

• Arista places the sponsor’s name/logo on its website. The sponsor can report participation in the project on their own website.

• Sponsorship is tax deductible for companies.