ABSTRACT
Loss of taxonomic biodiversity of honey bees can partly be attributed to colony losses. The loss of taxonomic biodiversity in honey bees could somehow be controlled by breeding of local bee strains rather than imported ones. The European Red List of Bees provided information on the status of nearly 2,000 species of bees in Europe, including Apis mellifera. According to the Red List of Bees 7.7% of European bees have declining populations, while 9% of bees in Europe are threatened with extinction, mainly due to habitat loss as a result of agriculture intensification. D. U. Hooper et al. suggested that species loss affects primary production and decomposition of plant species, and that biodiversity loss in the 21st century could be one of the major drivers of ecosystem change. A decline in native bees due to infestation by small hive beetles will potentially have a negative impact on bee biodiversity.
