Studying impact of honeybees on local wild bees

Giannutri is a little island off the coast Italy. Its isolation ensured that honeybees never got there under their own steam — 18 hives were introduced in 2018 and scientists have been studying their effects on the local bee population

View from the sea of Giannutri Island, Tuscany — up until 2018 the island was honeybee-free as they don't fly over water

If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, man would have only four years of life left — Albert Einstein.

We consider that our beloved honeybees can do no wrong. But are they as ‘squeaky clean’ as we think? Recent research in Italy suggests that these eco-saints, despite their being an example to us all, have a dark side.