# Comparative Analysis of Urban and Rural Ecosystems in the Context of Suitability for Honeybees
## 4 Discussion
The contrasting factors observed in both urban and rural areas underscore the notion that honey yields are influenced not only by the environmental type but also by the specific characteristics of the immediate environment. However, the 14 developmental, biological, and productivity parameters of the bee colonies were found to be most dependent on the different geographical parameters. The existence of geographical variation in living conditions for bees is not a novel finding, as evidenced by other publications [53; 54; 55; 56]. In most cases, 12 parameters showed significant variation between geographical locations (Table 3). The apiary in Warsaw demonstrated the highest honey yield; this was a noteworthy achievement that outperformed both other regions and the rural control apiary. The average yield in Warsaw was 20.7 kg higher than in the rural apiary, a discrepancy that can be explained by the urban heat island effect, which is a term used to describe the phenomenon by which urban areas are found to be warmer than the surrounding countryside. It has been demonstrated that species which are more demanding in relation to temperature produce more nectar than those which inhabit areas outside the city, where other weather parameters are similar, e.g., insolation or amount of rainfall. The apiary in Warsaw exhibited the lowest overwintering strength while simultaneously achieving the highest honey yield among all the locations studied. This phenomenon may be attributed to the excessive workload placed on the bees. The practical advice to be derived from this experience is that, in areas where temperatures are higher and bees develop more rapidly during the spring months, it is possible to overwinter them in a state of reduced strength and yet still expect them to demonstrate high levels of productivity. The urban apiary in Lublin demonstrated exceptional performance in the majority of the 14 parameters under consideration. It was characterised by notably dynamic colony development during the spring period and the presence of stronger colonies throughout the season. This phenomenon may be attributed to the specific location of the apiary, which was the sole facility situated on the roof of a five-storey building. This particular location provides effective protection from wind while also ensuring optimal sun exposure. The distinctiveness of this region is reflected in Figure S5. The climatic conditions at the macro- and micro-scale and forage conditions in which the experimental colonies were tested had a very significant effect on the parameters of the bee colonies. The existence of a factorial interaction was confirmed by means of a principal component analysis (PCA). Figures 2 and S1-S3 demonstrate additionally that an interaction of factors of location and year of testing occurs. In the temperate climate zones, seasonal variation in bee traits plays a crucial role. This assertion is corroborated by studies [25, 57, 58]. This finding is consistent with the results of the present study, which demonstrated that climatic conditions in each year significantly influenced bee overwintering B1, OIndex, spring colony development BC0, BC1, and honey yield. In 2022, the values of the key traits of colony development were higher than in 2021. These fluctuations can be attributed to various bee responses to weather conditions, such as the number of flightless days when bees are unable to forage, as well as the presence of forage plants that do not produce nectar during cold weather, such as _R. pseudoacacia_, which flowers briefly [57]. The environmental impact on bees was so significant in the experiment that the correlation between brood and bee numbers and honey production was low at 0.2 and 0.26, respectively. Much higher correlation coefficients were obtained by other researchers, but they kept their apiaries in one place. The correlation coefficients for brood and honey production were 0.73 [59], 0.55-0.62 [60], and 0.96 [61].