# Comparative Analysis of Urban and Rural Ecosystems in the Context of Suitability for Honeybees
## 4 Discussion  
A study was conducted to ascertain the distinguishing characteristics of apiaries located in urban and agricultural areas. It was found that the distinguishing parameter is the number of breeds in spring BC1, brood growth rate BGD, and bee infestation with _Varroa_ mites VInf. The results demonstrated that urban apiaries exhibited higher values for these parameters (Table 2). This suggests that in urban environments, at the beginning of the season, bee colonies experience accelerated development. This finding has been corroborated in other studies [18; 20; 21; 40; 41; 42]. In four out of five regions, higher honey yields were reported in urban areas, although this was statistically proven in only two locations. These outcomes have been corroborated by other research studies (see references [21; 43; 44]. In the Tychy region, honey production was dominated by rural apiaries due to favourable foraging conditions. However, it should be noted that in this study, data were collected over only one season. In addition, oilseed rape was grown in that area. That contributed to a good harvest because the area received the most rainfall, and nectar was abundant. A lack of rainfall is less likely to reduce the nectar production of trees and shrubs because of the root system. This is why the yield is higher in urban areas, where the most important honey s do not come from annual plants. In Poland, the honey production season is short, namely 3-4 months, and the most important parameter influencing the use of beneficial insects is the intensity of spring development. The number of bees in colonies in summer was slightly lower in rural apiaries. Intensive colony development in urban apiaries led to higher levels of _Varroa_ mite infestation during the summer months. The spread of the parasite is favoured by colony  
Figure 4: K-Means clustering with five clusters and convex hulls. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c c c c c c} \hline
**Trait * & **HY** & **BC1** & **BC0** & **B1** & **SC1** & **B2** & **OIndex** & **SC3** & **BGD** & **BC2** & **VInf** & **SB** & **SC2** & **BC3** \\ \hline Significance & 0.13 & 0.12 & 0.11 & 0.11 & 0.10 & 0.08 & 0.07 & 0.06 & 0.05 & 0.03 & 0.02 & 0.02 & 0.01 & 0.01 \\ \hline \end{tabular}  
* Abbreviations explained in Table 1.  
\end{table} 
Table 7: Significance of features ranked according to their contribution to cluster differentiation. The sum of all feature importance values is 1.0 (or 100% if expressed as a percentage). development, as has been described in other studies [45; 46; 47; 48]. However, infestation levels in urban apiaries have not exceeded colony-threatening values of 3/10 g bees [49; 50], although some studies already consider 1/10 g bees as a critical level [51; 52]. In urban areas, infestation levels were found to be higher, though not to a sufficient extent to necessitate a modification in the control strategy. However, under certain conditions, the critical level of infestation may be exceeded, particularly when the onset of spring occurs earlier than is customary. In such cases, it is recommended that bee infestation be monitored and that summer treatment be applied. Given the temporal proximity to harvest, biotechnological methods are deemed most suitable or in combination with treatments that have a short withdrawal period, such as organic acids. Several factors have been identified as potentially contributing to low honey yields, with adverse effects on the condition of bees. In rural areas, where agricultural intensification can lead to a reduction in biodiversity, bees often face a lack of sufficient food resources, especially during periods of drought. In addition, the presence of pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals used in agriculture can significantly reduce the ability of bees to collect nectar and produce honey. Consequently, in such instances, the quality of the soil and the diversity of the vegetation can be constrained, resulting in diminished floral availability and reduced yields.