{"accessRestrictions":"Case by case basis","archiveLocations":[{"organisationName":"UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology","role":"pointOfContact","pointOfContact":"UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology"}],"availability":"For each batch of honey we aim to collect two sample tubes of honey (each about 50 ml).  One of these we will use for immediate analysis, the other will be stored.  If, in the future, scientists are interested in re-examining honey from the past this sample will be available. For example, people may want to understand how a new disease has spread and may use DNA approaches to assess this. ","boundingBoxes":[{"westBoundLongitude":-8.648,"eastBoundLongitude":1.768,"southBoundLatitude":49.864,"northBoundLatitude":60.861,"bounds":"{\"type\": \"Feature\",      \"properties\": {},      \"geometry\": {        \"type\": \"Polygon\",        \"coordinates\": [[[-8.648, 49.864], [-8.648, 60.861], [1.768, 60.861], [1.768, 49.864], [-8.648, 49.864]]]      }}","coordinates":"[[[-8.648, 49.864], [-8.648, 60.861], [1.768, 60.861], [1.768, 49.864], [-8.648, 49.864]]]"}],"description":"Honeybees and wild bees have suffered declines in recent years. These are thought to be linked to agricultural intensification, including pesticide use and loss of habitats/ floral resources, as well as the emergence of new diseases and climate change. Their sensitivity to the way we manage land in the UK has long been a cause for concern. However, this same sensitivity makes honeybees ideal for monitoring changes in the countryside over time and at a national scale - due to the large distances over which honeybees forage, often traveling many kilometres from their hives. The honey collected by honeybees contains incredibly valuable information on the state of the landscape the bees live in and environmental pressures they are exposed to.","funding":[{"funderName":"Natural Environment Research Council","funderIdentifier":"https://ror.org/02b5d8509","orcid":false,"ror":true},{"funderName":"Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council","funderIdentifier":"https://ror.org/00cwqg982","orcid":false,"ror":true}],"id":"87f9582a-e013-49ca-9d35-cb5b9b72bfb0","lineage":"Working in partnership with UK beekeepers, the National Honey Monitoring Scheme aims to use honeybees to monitor long-term changes in the condition and health of the UK countryside. With the help of beekeepers we would like to collect honey samples from across the UK and continue to do this for many years. These samples will analysed using advanced DNA barcoding techniques to identify the species of plant pollen present. This will tell us what bees are feeding on in different parts of the country and at different times of year. This information will help us identify possible threats to the floral resources of pollinating insects.","metadataDate":"2026-01-19T13:53:06","onlineResources":[{"url":"https://assist.ceh.ac.uk/","name":"ASSIST","function":"website","type":"OTHER"},{"url":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880920303911?via%3Dihub","name":"Neonicotinoid use on cereals and sugar beet is linked to continued low exposure risk in honeybees","function":"website","type":"OTHER"},{"url":"https://honey-monitoring.ac.uk/","name":"National Honey Monitoring Scheme","function":"website","type":"OTHER"},{"url":"https://honey-monitoring.ac.uk/sites/default/files/images/theme/nhms-black-400px.png","name":"nhms logo","function":"browseGraphic","type":"OTHER"}],"resourceIdentifiers":[{"code":"https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/87f9582a-e013-49ca-9d35-cb5b9b72bfb0"}],"title":"Honey Monitoring Scheme (UK)","type":"sampleArchive","uri":"https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/87f9582a-e013-49ca-9d35-cb5b9b72bfb0","website":"https://honey-monitoring.ac.uk/"}