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The conscious need of transition to an environmentally friendly way of society life on a global scale in recent years outlines a new direction in the development and activity of humanity. A number of documents at the global and European levels are a clear sign of countries' determination t change significantly their attitude to the natural resources use in order to limit climate change and global warming of the planet, to ensure an environmentally friendly way of life and activity and the long-term preservation and well-being of human civilization. Small and medium-sized businesses in Bulgaria are a huge potential resource that can be a powerful engine for realizing the ecological transformation of the country's economy. Current progress, financial ability and access to financial resources as well as the outlooks of small and medium companies in Bulgaria in the green transition are analyzed in this study. SMEs are classified in 3 clusters in terms of their progress in the transition process using TwoStep Cluster analysis with a set of indicators identified by authors. It has been established that despite the existing difficulties and the great inertia in the process of transition to an ecological economy of small and medium-sized companies in particular, more or less sustainable steps leading to the reduction of carbon emissions are observed, in the production of cleaner energy as well as elements of circularity in production processes and consumption. The transition appears to be taking place more quickly in medium-sized companies operating in manufacturing, logistics and transport, while small, mostly family-owned, companies with businesses in retail or service are progressing more slowly in this process. All the companies need of more serious and adequate support in the way of ecologization both by state regulations that to be applied clearly and transparently and by adequate financing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honeybee (Apis mellifera) flight activity and beehive changing weight during rapeseed (Brassica napus) flowering was evaluated. The research was carried out during the 2021 agricultural period in the northeastern region of Bulgaria, specifically in Yuper village. The experimental site is situated at 43°54'28.59" N, 26°23M9.02"E coordinates, with an elevation of 107 meters. Within the experiment, there were 130 bee colonies kept in Dadant-Blatt hives. The bees belong to the species known as (Apis mellifera macedónica). Throughout the research duration, the study focuses on tracking the quantity of bees leaving the hive (Nbee) and the changes in hive weight (Y) caused by the secretion of nectar during different time intervals throughout the day. The monitoring included external factors such as the temperature of the outside air (Tair), °C, the humidity of the air (Hair) %„ and the surface temperature (Tsur) °C, of the rapeseed inflorescences. The findings indicate a noteworthy and favorable relationship between Nbee and Y. The stronger correlation between Nbee, Y and Tsur was found. The other weather indicators as Tair and Hair are not correlated with Nbee and Y. The monitoring of the honeybee flight activity and beehive weight during rapeseed flowering will help the beekeepers to determine the suitable moment to expand the bee colonies in order to achieve optimal productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the heavy metals concentrations in soil, inflorescences of Brassica napus L. and rapeseed honey sampled from some regions of north-eastern Bulgaria. Thirteen locations were selected for experimental studies. The soils, plants and honey samples were taken from conventional beekeeping areas away from major industrial pollutants. The median amounts of elements in the soil samples (mg/kg dry weight (DW)) are 1.1246 for Fe(s), 0.7048 for Al(s), 0.5636 for Pb(s), 0.1658 for Cu(s) and 0.0148 for Zn(s). The median amounts of heavy metals measured in the inflorescences of Brassica napus (mg/kg DW) are 5.5430 for Fe(p), 2.9095 for Zn(p), 1.3225 for Pb(p), 0.2593 for Cu(p) and 0.2105 for Al(p). The median heavy metals concentrations in tested honey (mg/kg DW) are 1.0026 for Fe(h), 0.1849 for Al(h), 0.1832 for Pb(h), 0.1250 for Zn(h), and 0.0702 for Cu(h). The relationship between the heavy metal in soil, plants and honey was investigated using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Significant differences in the concentrations of Fe(s), Al(s) and Pb(s) in soils, Fe(p) and Zn(p) in the plant samples and Fe(h) in honey samples from the different locations were found. The heavy metal content tested in honey did not pose a risk to human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]