Objective Honey is among the oldest food products of mankind and beekeeping is deeply rooted in every European culture. Numerous European and national regulations control honey quality, which reflects both the high nutritional and societal value of the product. Yet in an environment with increasing chemical pollution and the wide use of agrochemicals, honey runs high risks of becoming chemically polluted. In addition a broad spectrum of chemicals is used to treat honeybee diseases, further contaminating honey with sometimes highly toxic compounds.The BEE SHOP is a network of ten leading European honeybee research groups in honey quality, pathology, genetics and behaviour as well as selected beekeeping industries, which all share a common interest in promoting Europe's high honey quality standards. The prime goal is to reduce potential sources of honey contamination due to both foraging contaminated nectar and chemotherapy of honeybee diseases. The BEE SHOP will therefore deal with the development of biological resistance to pests and pathogens to avoid chemotherapy. Various European honeybee races and populations will be screened for their disease resistance potential to the main pressing pathogens. Differences in foraging patterns among European honeybees and their underlying mechanisms will be studied to identify behavioural traits reducing contamination. Differences in disease susceptibility will be genetically analysed by QTL mapping.Major loci in the genome will be identified with the aid of the published honeybee genome. SNPs will be developed to allow for selection of specific target genes in both drones and queens before insemination. This will greatly accelerate the selection progress in honeybee breeding allowing for the swift establishment of resistant but efficient stock. New tools for testing honey quality and authenticity will be developed to allow inspections of honey according to the current EC directives on honey quality and organic beekeeping. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologyvirologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsnatural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyentomologyapidologynatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencespollutionnatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsgenomes Keywords Apis mellifera disease resistance disease resistance honey quality genetics genetics honey quality Programme(s) FP6-FOOD - Food Quality and Safety: Thematic priority 5 under the Focusing and Integrating Community Research programme 2002-2006. Topic(s) FOOD-2004-T5.4.6.5 - Sustainable apiculture and honey production Call for proposal FP6-2004-FOOD-3-B See other projects for this call Funding Scheme STREP - Specific Targeted Research Project Coordinator MARTIN-LUTHER-UNIVERSITAET HALLE-WITTENBERG EU contribution No data Address Universitaetsplatz 10 HALLE (SAALE) Germany See on map Total cost No data Participants (8) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS Spain EU contribution No data Address Serrano 117 MADRID See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE France EU contribution No data Address 16 avenue Edouard Belin TOULOUSE See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data CONSIGLIO PER LA RICERCA E LA SPERIMENTAZIONE IN AGRICOLTURA Italy EU contribution No data Address Via Nazionale 82 ROMA See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data INSITUTE OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, SLOVAK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Slovakia EU contribution No data Address Dubravska cesta 21 BRATISLAVA See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY BELFAST United Kingdom EU contribution No data Address University Road BELFAST See on map Total cost No data SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITET (SWEDISH UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES) Sweden EU contribution No data Address ULLS VAEG 24A UPPSALA See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data UNIVERSITAET HOHENHEIM Germany EU contribution No data Address Schloss 1 STUTTGART See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data VYZKUMNY USTAV VCELARSKY, S.R.O., MASLOVICE - DOL, LIBCICE NAD VLTAVOU, CZECH REPUBLIC [BEE RESEARCH INSTITUTE AT DOL] Czechia EU contribution No data Address Dol 94 LIBCICE NAD VLTAVOU See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data