Honeybees and Pollination

The Hindu Kush-Himalayan region has a rich diversity of honeybee species; five species– Apis cerana, Apis dorsata, Apis florea, Apis laboriosa and Apis andreniformis – are indigenous to the region, whereas the European honeybee, Apis mellifera has been introduced to the region and promoted for beekeeping. The indigenous honeybees make a significant contribution to the livelihoods of the rural poor and protection of the environment through a variety of products and services. Apis cerana can be maintained in hives, and has been kept by mountain farmers in the Himalayan region and other parts of Asia for centuries. It is active at higher altitudes and lower temperatures than the exotic Apis mellifera. Most of the bee farmers of the HKH region keeping indigenous Apis cerana or involved in collecting honey (‘honey hunting’) from the wild nests of other indigenous species fall into the category of the poorest of the poor.

Honey is the best known of all bee products from both a quantitative and an economic point of view. It has been estimated that the region has over four million colonies and nests of indigenous and exotic honeybees that produce over 36 thousand metric tons of honey every year. Beeswax is another widely used bee product and an excellent commodity for rural communities for trade as it can be used in the preparation of candles, beauty and healing products, and medicinal skin creams and ointments. Beekeepers can also generate income from marketing of pollen, royal jelly, propolis, and bee venom. Beekeeping also offers an opportunity for beekeepers to earn income from the sale of small honeybee colonies (honeybee nucs).

Honeybees enhance agricultural productivity and help maintain biodiversity by providing valuable pollination services. Pollination is an ecological process based on the ecological principal of mutual interactions or interrelationships (known as proto cooperation) between the pollinated (plants) and the pollinator. In recent years, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has recognised pollination as a key driver in the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem function. In fact, the main significance of honeybees and beekeeping is pollination, whereas hive products are of secondary value. The benefit of honeybees as providers of pollination services for enhancing crop yields and maintaining biodiversity is thought to be much higher than their role as producers of honey and beeswax. Various estimates have been made to prove the economic value of honeybees in agriculture in developed countries. They show that the annual value of honeybee pollination to crop production is US$ 14.6 billion in the USA, US$ 1.14 billion in Canada , about US$ 3 billion in the EC, and US$ 2.3 billion in New Zealand.

In the Himalayan region, keeping bees for pollination has been shown to increase the yield and quality and reduce fruit drop in apple, peach, plum, citrus, kiwi, and strawberry. Honeybee pollination has been reported to increase the fruit juice and sugar content in citrus fruits; reduce the percentage of misshapen fruits in strawberry; and increase the oil contents in rape seed and sunflower. Studies carried out by ICIMOD have also shown that honeybee pollination enhanced seed production and quality of seed in various vegetable crops such as cabbage, cauliflower, radish, broad leaf mustard, and lettuce. Keeping in view the usefulness of honeybees to agriculture, beekeepers in the HKH region, for example in Himachal Pradesh, India are renting honeybee colonies to apple farmers for managed pollination.

Studies conducted at ICIMOD show a decline in the indigenous bee populations in their natural habitat. The main reasons for this appear to be habitat change, which is reducing the availability of forage and nesting places; ongoing expansion of monoculture, which is reducing the diversity of forage resources; extensive use of pesticides; competition from the exotic Apis mellifera; insufficient focus and capacity of national institutions; and changing economic and social landscape. The loss of indigenous bees has adversely affected the livelihoods of poor mountain communities who used to earn income from beekeeping and honey hunting, and it also poses a serious threat to agricultural production and maintenance of biodiversity in many parts of the region.

ICIMOD jointly with its country partners has initiated efforts to address the issue of declining bee populations. A holistic and integrated action research approach was developed with the aim of conserving the indigenous bee populations and promoting income generation for mountain communities. Activities include studies to improve understanding of the role of indigenous honeybees in the livelihoods of the poor, and pollination and productivity; the extent of damage to local bee populations caused by exotic bee species; research and development to increase the productivity of the Asian hive bee Apis cerana; facilitating and strengthening networks of beekeeping organisations; helping communities to learn the art and craft of beekeeping; promoting modern beekeeping approaches; and exploring the prospects of marketing and business development including value chains.