In 2022, the number of beehives in leading countries worldwide reached 12. 6 million, with India having the largest number at around 12. 6 million. China, the world’s leading honey producer, has 9 million hives and produces around 466, 000 tonnes of honey annually. Beekeeping and apiculture have also increased significantly worldwide in recent decades, with the FAO estimated the number of bee colonies worldwide to be around 101. 6 million. China has the largest number of beekeepers, accounting for nearly one-third of the total global population of beekeepers.
Beekeeping is most popular in China, which is the largest honey producer in the world. In 2021, China produced 447. 005 tons of honey. Slovenia ranks third in the world in daily per capita consumption of honey, with an average of 4. 4 grams. The largest producer was China, with an annual production of 486, 000 tonnes. Romania had 1. 5 million beehives on farms, more than any other EU country. Italy and Greece each accounted for a further one million beehives.
The EU produces approximately 250, 000 tonnes of honey, making it the second largest honey producer after China. With almost 5 beekeepers per 1, 000 population, Slovenia is at the top of the EU-28. Annual honey production in Slovenia varies greatly, with evidence of beekeeping in ancient Egypt, ancient China, Greece, and Maya.
In terms of EU countries, Romania had 1. 5 million beehives on farms, retaining its status as the EU’s top-ranked country. Spain beekeepers had the highest average number of colonies per beekeeper (103. 0), while British beekeepers owned the smallest average.
| Article | Description | Site |
|---|---|---|
| Bee colonies: Worldwide population on the rise | Most bee colonies in 2021 were in Asia (45.3 million). Number of bee … The largest producer was China with an annual production of 486,000 tonnes. | destatis.de |
| Beehive numbers in EU: agriculture’s buzzing backbone | At national level, Romania had 1.5 million beehives on farms, more than any other EU country. Italy and Greece each accounted for a further 1 … | ec.europa.eu |
| Number of beehives in leading countries worldwide … | India has the most beehives (12.2 million hives), but China has 9 million hives and is the world’s leading honey producer, producing roughly 466,000 tonnes of … | researchgate.net |
📹 How Slovenia Produces Some Of The World’s Best Honey
Beekeeping is the poetry of agriculture” – this is an old Slovenian aphorism. In this small Balkan country, beekeeping is looked …
Which Country Has Purest Honey?
The top 15 countries renowned for producing high-quality honey include Australia, Nepal, France, Spain, Russia, Ethiopia, Thailand, Greece, New Zealand, Turkey, and Ukraine. Greece is famous for its Golden Thyme Honey, fetching $250/kg, while Bashkirian Honey from Russia ranges between $130-220/kg. In Ethiopia, White Honey from the Tigray Mountains is valued at $215. 9/kg. Thailand's Stingless Bee Honey costs around $216/kg. New Zealand is best known for its Manuka honey, praised for health benefits, with prices varying based on MGO ratings.
Additionally, Mexican avocado honey is renowned as one of the rarest globally. Malaysia's honey varieties—Kelulut, Acacia, and Tualang—offer significant health benefits. Raw honey is considered the best due to being pure and minimally processed. Ukraine leads in honey production per capita. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization's 2020 data, China produced the most honey, at 547, 000 metric tons.
The article identifies Manuka honey, Sidr Honey from Yemen, and Elvish Honey from Turkey among the finest varieties globally. In summary, Greece, New Zealand, Thailand, Turkey, and Spain are highlighted as major producers of exceptional-quality honey, contributing to a competitive and flavorful market.
Which Country Has The Most Bees?
The United States boasts the highest diversity of bee species globally, with over 4, 000 native species, according to the USGS. Globally, it is estimated there are between 80 million to 100 million managed beehives. In terms of beehive count, India leads with approximately 12. 6 million, followed by China with around 9. 4 million, which is also the top honey producer, generating about 466, 000 tonnes of honey annually. The FAO has estimated that, as of 2021, there are about 101. 6 million bee colonies worldwide, reflecting a substantial increase since 1990.
Turkey is estimated to have over 7 million beehives, placing it among the countries with the most bees. While the U. S. has the highest bee species diversity and roughly 3. 2 million bee colonies, countries in Africa and the Middle East also have considerable bee populations. Within the European Union, Romania ranks first with 1. 5 million beehives, maintaining its status as a significant honey production hub, with Italy and Greece contributing additional beehive counts.
Recent efforts, like the World Bee Project's Global Pollinator Map, have aimed to engage the public in monitoring bee populations, highlighting the importance of conservation. The comprehensive mapping of bee species distribution is expected to aid conservation efforts, underscoring the U. S.'s role as a central hub of bee diversity globally.
How Do Beekeepers Make Most Of Their Money?
When considering beekeeping, honey production is usually the first thought, as selling honey is the primary income source for most beekeepers. A healthy hive can yield between 60 to 200 pounds of honey per season, with prices reaching up to $10 per pound. Additional income can be generated through beeswax, pollen, royal jelly, propolis, and offering pollination services.
To successfully profit from beekeeping, strategic planning is essential. Beekeepers managing large apiaries may focus on tasks like feeding bees, making hive splits, and conducting hive inspections, while prioritizing the health of the hive, as healthy colonies produce more honey.
The profitability varies; on average, a beekeeper with over 100 hives can earn around $6, 000 annually, but earnings fluctuate based on geographical location. A significant benefit is the ability to both consume personal honey and sell surplus at local markets, friends, or via social media.
In 2018, the average honey yield in the UK was approximately 31 pounds per hive, marking a strong production year. Many professionals craft their hives and equipment to minimize expenses, recognizing that significant income can also stem from selling hive splits and providing pollination services, which is lucrative enough for some beekeepers to consider as a full-time business. Successful marketing and branding of their honey products further enhance profitability in this rewarding sector.
Which Countries Produce The Most Honey?
The European Parliament recognizes Europe as the second-largest honey producer globally, generating over 235, 000 tonnes annually. China, by contrast, significantly outpaces Europe, producing more than 500, 000 tonnes of honey each year. In 2022, China led the world with an astonishing production of 461, 900 tonnes. This figure is notably over four times that of Turkey, the second-largest producer, and vastly exceeds Greece's output as well. Turkey has distinguished itself for its pine honey, with about 92% of this production occurring in the Aegean region.
According to FAO data from 2020, the top honey-producing countries were as follows: China (547, 000 metric tons), Turkey, and Iran, which contributes with around 77, 152. 44 tonnes. The total global natural honey production reached 1, 771, 944 tonnes in 2021, with Asia being the largest contributor, followed closely by the Americas.
China not only leads in production volume but also has the highest export value of natural honey, estimated at $278 million, accounting for 10. 5% of the global export market. In 2021, China produced 457, 203 tonnes, underscoring its robust beekeeping industry that meets significant international demand. Other top honey producers include Argentina and India, with Ethiopia also contributing approximately 43, 373 tonnes, representing a portion of African honey production. Overall, the honey sector remains vibrant, with around 600, 000 beekeepers and 17 million beehives worldwide.
Which Country Has The Most Beekeeping?
In 2022, the global landscape of beekeeping revealed India as the leader in the number of beehives, with approximately 12. 6 million hives, trailed by China, which boasts around 9. 4 million hives. While India holds the highest count of beehives, China stands out as the world's top honey producer, generating about 486, 000 tonnes of honey annually. In 2021, worldwide honey production reached 1, 771, 944 tonnes, with Asia dominating the output, closely followed by the Americas. Countries contributing significantly to this surge include India, China, Turkey, and Iran, the latter being a notable honey producer as well, yielding around 77, 000 tonnes per year.
In the European Union, Romania ranks highest in beehive numbers, with about 1. 5 million hives, while Italy and Greece also contribute significantly. The beekeeping industry globally benefits from diverse climates, floral availability, and support from governments. Most beekeepers in the UK utilize framed hives, highlighting regional preferences in hive types. Additionally, certain regions boast a high density of beekeepers, such as Punjab, India, where around 35, 000 beekeepers operate. This increase in beehive numbers has tripled over the past 50 years, indicating a growing recognition of the importance of beekeeping for ecology and agriculture.
How Many Bees Are There In The World?
The global bee population is vast, with estimates of individual bees ranging from 4 to 7 trillion. There are approximately 80 million to 101 million beehives worldwide, with each hive housing between 10, 000 to 60, 000 bees. This suggests a remarkable total of around 2 trillion bees, predominantly residing in managed hives. Scientists have cataloged all 20, 000 bee species on the planet, with a new global map created to aid in their conservation, essential for the pollination of 75% of global crops.
In North America alone, 90 crops depend on these pollinators. The USA alone has around 5, 000 bee species, and currently, about 4 million bee colonies exist there, marking an increase over recent years. The distribution of honeybee colonies is widespread across all continents except Antarctica, totaling approximately 350 million. This equates to one colony for every 23 individuals. With an estimated 10, 000 bees per colony, there are roughly 3. 5 trillion individual honeybees globally, translating to about 440 bees per person.
The number of both managed and feral bee colonies has risen over the years, with an increase from 99. 85 million beehives in 2021 to 101 million by 2022. Awareness of the diversity and significance of bees is growing, emphasizing their critical role in maintaining ecosystems and food production, amidst the challenges they face.
What Celebrity Is A Beekeeper?
Morgan Freeman, the renowned actor, has embraced beekeeping at his 124-acre ranch in Mississippi, joining a list of notable celebrities and historical figures who share a passion for this hobby. Beekeeping transcends social classes, attracting individuals from all walks of life. Several prominent figures find solace in tending to bees, seeing it as a relaxing distraction from their high-profile careers. Celebrities like Michelle Obama established a beehive at the White House, while Leonardo DiCaprio enjoys beekeeping as an escape from the hectic pace of life in Los Angeles.
Among other famous beekeepers, we find icons such as Queen Camilla, David Beckham, Ed Sheeran, and Jeremy Clarkson, all contributing to the awareness of bees' vital role in our ecosystem. Historical figures like Hippocrates, Aristotle, and Leo Tolstoy have also dabbled in the art of beekeeping, showcasing its longstanding appeal.
This article celebrates the intersection of fame and a commitment to environmental stewardship through beekeeping. These celebrities have turned their attention to bees, inspiring a new wave of interest in the craft while underlining its significance. As more public figures engage in this practice, they help elevate the appreciation for beekeeping and highlight the critical role bees play in supporting our environment.
How Many Honey Bees Are There In The US?
The United States has experienced a significant decline in honey bee colonies, with an estimated loss of 11. 4 million from 2015 to 2022. However, around 11 million new colonies have been added, resulting in nearly 3. 8 million bee colonies as of the latest census. Despite this addition, the U. S. saw a slight decrease in the number of honey bee colonies in 2023, numbering approximately 2. 51 million. Notably, honey bees, brought to America in the 17th century, are not native to North America, which hosts around 4, 000 native bee species.
These solitary species make up over 90 percent of the bee population, living independently in nests rather than hives. Honey bees remain America’s primary commercial pollinators. In comparison to the previous decade, where the average number of colonies was 2. 7 million—about 8 percent more than the prior ten years—there has been a gradual increase over time despite recent fluctuations. As of September 2023, honey bees were not classified as "endangered." Overall, the data reflects a complex situation where while honey bee populations have generally increased in the long term, challenges still persist in maintaining these essential pollinators amidst numerous environmental pressures.
📹 It Started Killing All the Bees in Australia, a Year Later the Result Was Shocking
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GRAY BEE (Apis mellifera carnica) The gray bee is a subspecies of honey bee that naturally inhabits the area south of the Alps, north of Italy and east of Slovenia towards Romania (Engel, 1999, Ruttner, 1988.) Therefore, this bee is not originally only Slovenian. It is also autochthonous in Croatia, and long before its Latin name, which was obtained in Austria-Hungary.
Clarification from a European beekeeper who had to deal with mites since the very beginning: 0. Don’t panic! Bees do survive for quite some time after infection. We usually don’t do any mite-treatment between December and July/August. 1. Treatment against mites costs about 10€ per hive in one-time initial costs and around 5€ per year for the chemicals. Most beekeepers use organic acids (formic acid and/or oxalic acid). Though especially formic acid is quite corrosive in concentrated form, a few minutes after the application ends there is no more danger. Since both oxalic acid and formic acid are naturally part of honey contamination is (if applied correctly) not a risk. There are other treatments such as hyperthermy (kind of an artificial fever for the hive) or biotechnological methods such as removing all of the brood, which contains most of the mites. 2. Treatment is very effective, if done correctly. 3. Beekeepers, stay away from the real poisons (acarizides). They will lose their effectiveness quickly due to developing resistance, contaminate your beeswax forever and harm the bees health. 4. There are breeding programs for mite-tolerant bees, but real, long-term resistance has not yet been achieved, especially if you don’t strictly control queen bee mating. Plus bees are adapted to the location they live in, requiring either re-doing the resistance breeding or the adaption-breeding. 5. No need to do constant checking – Eventually all hives will be infected all the time. You just do your scheduled mite-treatment and continue as normal otherwise.
as a retired beekeeper with 25 hives a few things should be made clear to help this problem….. 1, the use of pesticide strips as recomended…. 2 the mite is rather clumsy so we developed an open floor, made of fine st/steel mesh…..the mite often fall off the bee and end up on the ground….. then they cant get back up to the hive… My resident hedgehoge used to shuffle under the hives to clean uo the fallen mites….. It didn’t stop the infestation completly but kept it under control….. costs are minimal and no more strong chemicals….. Try it, what ya gotta loose…. It’s not a complete disaster for everyone…..
The varroa came in on timber shipment through the Port of Newcastle (AU) from the Port of Nelson (NZ). The authorities covered up this information to prevent a class action lawsuit against the Federal Government of Australia. The Federal Government of Australia wanted the varroa mite introduced into the country so they could complete an amended quarantine-free trade agreement with New Zealand called “Second Protocol”. Varroa was a deal breaker in that agreement. When varroa was discovered in Australia, the agreement had been in talks for over 10 years at that point. The “Second Protocol” was signed and ratified only 13 months later in August 2023. Not such a coincidence…
I’m a bee keeper in Ireland, I don’t treat my bees for varroa with any chemicals, I disturb the brood as little as possible for the cluster to be able to maintain the core temperature as high as possible . During a feed shortage I give sugar syrup or fondant with raw garlic and onion added, a tip I got from a Latvian bee keeper . Very little online regards onion/garlic varroa research . I just knock up syrup/fondant till it stinks of garlic and onion and the bees savage the stuff all that’s left is the hard skin of the garlic.
I worked on a farm in the far north east of NSW Australia near Lismore for around 20y. We introduce native bee hives not long after converting to organics and while it took a little while we reached a point where I could see that we would be able to split enough hives to adequately pollinate all of the fruit trees. At first I was worried that the native bees wouldn’t pollinate non native trees but after working in the trees for long enough around flowing I observed the tiny guys landing on the flowers and doing what I assume bees do best. Unfortunately they only produce a small amount of honey but it is absolutely delicious in my opinion. Oh and the wax is equally as nice, it has such a lovely aroma.
Ive been working in my backyard all summer since retiring and been perusal Honey Bees coming & going from my plants. With the drought in central Texas, the plants haven’t been producing flowers so I began feeding them and love sitting back and perusal so many bees coming to my house and imagining the bees returning to their hive amd dancing around telling the others where to find nector
As a beekeeper its one of the most important things to teach other beekeepers. Treat for the mites or be willing to replace your bees far more often. I had a failed treatment last year and lost 80% of my hives. This year I’ve hit them hard and so far so good. I don’t check for mites I just treat for them with OA(Oxalic Acid).
Unfortunately, our reliance one one single species of honey bee worldwide was caused by us. There used to be more than enough native pollinators everywhere to, but because humans love sweet sugary stuff, Bees were introduced where the shouldn’t be and with the aide of pesticides and poor practices of farmers… native pollinators were pushed out.
UK beekeeper here. yep. these mites are a pain. But we do know how to manage the pest, but it does mean that all honey bees you ever see now are kept by humans. honeybees can NOT survive in the wild for more than about 3 years without human intervention once infested. fortunately our honeybees are not the world’s top food crop pollinator. They only make up about 4% in reality. Mankind would not starve without honeybees to pollinate crops. Common misconcpetion. Interesting vid and well presented. 👍🏻🇬🇧
I thought those little bee mites looked like bed bugs. I know they’re not, hopefully, but my ears perked up when you mentioned heating an area to 104 degrees Fahrenheit in an effort to control Australia’s mite problem is also one of the same solutions to eradicate bed bugs, maybe the best solution, imo..
As a UK beekeeper, the sight of those hives killed off due to varroa was shocking and sad. Over here we manage the impact of varroa during brood breaks with oxalic acid treatment in winter, and if necessary by isolating the queen at other times of the year, I’ve never had to treat in summer (oxalic acid sublimation and dribble). Some use pesticides at the end of summer. There’s also drone brood removal, as the mite’s reported to prefer these cells. This seemed to be a serious overreaction.
It’s funny how since the US have put bases around Australia that strange viruses and such have come into the country. We were all taught that due to its geographic location Australia was extremely unlikely to have these foreign issues. If authorities incinerated all of the European bee hives in a 100 kilometre radius (we don’t use miles and inches here) then wouldn’t the mites die thereby avoiding the already problematic chemical treatment. This sounds like a deliberate failure by our government to me. If we lost the European bees we would only lose the honey. There are plenty of insects that existed here way before the honey bee was introduced that will keep on pollinating the native flora.
I planted a part of my yard into a native area. It is now a registered Monarch Waystation as I have the full life cycle. Since then I also have so many other insects and birds. I went from a few to seeing up to 50 birds at a go in my little yard. Species I had never seen in my area before. Every little bit counts. Added benefit is no lawn to spend countless hours and money on. Mow once a year and done. Needless to say my gardens never suffer from lack of pollination now.
This is like when Chairman Mao had all the “Tree Sparrows” killed off because the thought that they were eating too much of the grain crops. BUT, it began an infestation of all the insects like grasshoppers that did way more damage. Turns out, the sparrows were keeping all those destructive insects in check and that sparrow’s food intake was less than one third grains and over two thirds insects. China had to import sparrows from Russia to try and fix the problem which took about 3 years to rectify. A Chinese biologist warned the Mao government about what would happen and they put him in prison. Some of the areas of China also knew that this was an insane order and didn’t kill any sparrows in their provinces. Australia has had other idiotic environmental disasters like the importing of Emus and a particular species of frogs and rabbits. Afterward, even the attempted eradication of the invasive species turned into a disaster.
If there is one thing I have noticed in beekeeping, its that people are lazy and wont do the bare minimum a lot of the time or they will cut corners. Then they will incur losses on a greater scale and then complain about it and seek sympathy. Unfortunate reality is that its so easy to beekeep when things are good and it gives people the arrogance to half ass.
Suggestion: I like the purple hive experiment idea using camera monitoring, what if they were to equip a laser or micro jet chemical spray nozzle to zap the mite on any infected bee recognised entering or leaving the hive, this could be setup as a standardised mobile unit that could be transferred and just clipped into place of entrance from hive to hive as the mite problems are eradicated in each zone or hive. This should not require much power for remote areas (battery & Panel maybe), and could drastically reduce chemical usage to a bear minimum or zero if using a few low intensity lasers instead of chemicals. Let me know if this idea ever takes off (if it hasn’t already been done), good info, cheers.
Look at the honey trail, sorry money trail. Q. Who stands to lose if many naturally pollinating food sources almost disappear.? A. The world’s population and other living organisms and our future survival. Q. Who stands to make a fortune from a monopoly if farmers have buy and sow only patented genetically grown seeds$ fed with patented chemical fertilisers$ and sprayed with dangerous pesticides$.? A =?
💔😢 I have no words for how heartbreaking this is. (Well…maybe just a thought or two…I always planted zinnias among my vegetable plants to attract bees. perusal a bee at work visiting the flowers is amazing. One early morning the temperature had dropped quickly and I found a handful of bees curled up in the raspberry hedge…as soon as the sun warmed them and the temp came up to 55+F they flew off.) Thanks for your article.
There is a guy in Poland that has developed a vaporiser of formic acid made out of a bottle, piecie od string, pin and floor underlay (such cardboard that is put under flooring panels). Simple and effective. Such contraption used twice a year solves the issue. He uses (lab grade)clean 80% formic acid. Especially when he catches a new bee family he treats it with formic acid vaporiser. Cheap, effective, not harmful to bees nor people.
The worrying thing that nobody is talking about is the massive reduction in general flying insects. Anyone 40-50 years old like myself will remember 20-30 years ago the time we spent cleaning bugs off our windshields. This just has almost stopped happening now. Im in the UK but im sure this isnt isolated to the UK
What I am missing here is the observation that the described way of beekeeping, with continuous transporting and only bringing the bees into mono cultures also weakens the bees, as this is a very unnatural, sub-optimal way for bees to live. They normally need a diverse nature with plants blooming all spring to fall.
I understand why you like your anonymity and want to keep it. You are a very busy person!! You have so many websites to narrate that you don’t have time for dealing with so many distraction plus with having all those websites comes the idea that you make a lot of money from these articles… and here comes all the people begging for a handout!! My niece plays music at a lot of events and has written some books and all of a sudden everyone thinks she’s wealthy!! She and her husband have day jobs and it barely pays the bills… By the way to me it is kind of like an Easter egg hunt to locate your websites because I love the way you tell the stories and present the facts in them and it is rewarding to find your websites. Keep up the good work!!
A lot of foreign visitors don’t understand why when they visit Australia there are very strict controls on foods, plants, certain plant based materials and the like entering the country – but essentially this is why,. We’re an island nation so we can (or have been able to) control to a reasonable extend, bio threats to our industry. And a lot of our industry is primary production so it makes sense for us to control those threats ass best we can. My state won’t even let you bring fruit from adjacent states, there are bins at airports, intersgtate rail stations and border roads for fruit – this reduces our fruit fly to manageable levels. If you find fruit fly the state gov sends out teams that will pick all the fruit in and around the infested areas and spray. So next time you fly into Australia and they ask you to not bring certain items, or to surrender them, then please comply.
Man I adore your hard work. I like any single article you post and I have a wish. Plz when you use imperial units have a subtitle in international units too. Many watchers watch utube articles late at night and it kinda sucks to use my inner calculator that late. Feet meter inches galons . It’s a mess. Outside US people might wonna enjoy your articles and I’m one of them
I enjoy your articles they have a lot of information and it’s entertaining. As far as the whole incognito thing I like it for no other reason than it irritates a lot of the people on here. And as far as the fidgeting we all have nervous habits it’s not a problem. I am curious however who’s Steve? Thanks for the article keep doing you
As a beekeeper this is ridiculous. Varroa mites are a common issue I have been dealing with for a decade now. Strangely it was an Australian you tube article that showed me how to control them. That was about 8-years ago. Varroa are very controllable. You can fumigate them with a common organic acid that occurs often in nature. No need to use dangerous pesticides. Also putting in drone frames concentrates the mites in those frames. When larvae are present remove and feed to chickens they love the high protein treat. Replace and repeat. Inspect drone larvae for varroa treatment if populations of mites are high. Destroying bee colonies to control them is ludicrous. Sounds like something government bureaucrats would do sadly. What government doesn’t seem to know is mites will infect wild bee colonies as well. As wild bees feed the mites will jump from flowers to bees. So long story short you can’t eradicate them.
Coming to a food near you soon. Bug bars recycled from eradicating pest bugs. Yea its safe to eat…? So in my yard i planted different mints in containers. I found at least in America its called Thai Mint. Attracts that ive seen 5-7 tiny bees I did not know existed. Might be worth planting in contained planters around. Might be able to build up natural bees.
The book Beekeepers Lament (audio book on YouTube) tells how the bees are dying in US, according to the book its the annihilation of pests and disease that is killing the bees, I avoid California almonds due to this. Non native plants have no defenses and are full of herbicides and pesticides. Since then I’ve learned vegetation isn’t good for humans due to the chemicals they produce to protect themselves. Much vegetation is modified from the wild so its edible, the wild versions taste bad so we intuitively know not to eat them. Now they’re bigger and sweeter so a fruit is several servings. Cultivation is also very bad for the soil, gathering like berries is good.
Many of these issues are a) Pesticides, even organic ones, have risks, “Suppressing the Bees immune system, etc., even with indirect contact that increases the risk of the deadly mite infection.” B) Genetics C) Climate change and pollution. It is a sad fact of modern life. Mite resistance to pesticides that kill them and the thin line of harm of damaging the bees is a major issue. Imbalance of insects “Giant wasps” harms and kill bees too. It is a very complex situation. I think Natural Selection may work well. Neat article.
I live in Newcastle and a couple of weeks after it hit the news I had a colony of bees descend on my place and took up residence in my walls. I had the DPI come out and they checked for the mite but none was present. The colony had to be destroyed because it was in place that it was impossible to remove and their entrance was next to my back door. In the past couple of years I have noticed an increase of native pollinators in my garden. I’ve seen 2 or 3 different types of masked bees with one of them deciding that the insect hotel I set up was the perfect place to lay its eggs.
Wild bees adapt, and treatment must be adopted. The treatments are very effective, and some strains are fairly resistant. Many feral bees have developed a large amout of defensive strategies. I’m in North America, and the mites can be handled. I keep trapped/ caught feral bees. Highly susceptible bee strains are long gone, and oxalic acid vaporizers will be your best friend. I don’t even check for them, I just treat all the hives.
Excellent facts in this one! The only thing I would add is to not treat at all from start creates some serious genetic bottlenecks that looses important genetic diversity, so it is probably best to treat to some extent the first years and then slowly letting the bees take care of it over a period of perhaps 10 years. Also adding some genetics from the outside will help, we have already dealt with it for a long time /Beekeeper with Varroa for 20 years
Ahh, Australia has another plague. Just a couple years ago we had a huuge rat plague as a result of significant rainfalls and we lost thousands of acres of crops to them. Farmers had traps made of shipping containers but they’d fill up so quick and wouldn’t make a significant impact on the population because rats breed so damn quickly. I just hope the locusts don’t bloom up because that would devastate the nation’s food supply.
One major problem with beekeeping is unlike other forms of agriculture which are carried outusing fundemental rules which apply to all forms of intensive farming for success, apiarist tend to be traditionalist and fail to adopt basic fundemental proven rules. They therefore end up with disease and colony collapse. These rules being: 1. To house bees in an environment that is the same as their natural habitat, being trees sheltered from all the weather elements to keep hive at ambient temperature all year round. 2. Adhere to hygienic practices used in all forms of intensive farming. 3. Segrate hives from all intruders entering, which not only rob but spread disease. This can easily be achieved by using latest devices just patented which keep 100% of robbing bees, wasps and wax moths out of hives without reducing entrance and which require zero maintenance. With bee keeping, practices are often used wich deal with problem once it has occured. “Prevention is always better than cure” goes the old saying. Once these methods are applied, thousands of hours will be saved by using preventative tecniques, mortality will reduce substantially and yields will increase. Intensive farming has come on in leaps and bounds since the 1960’s resulting huge increases in production by using the lates tecnology. Bee keeping has a long way to go and will only happen when ALL apiarist start applying the same basic golden rules.
I am a beekeeper in Switzerland. The alleged very negative consequences for the honeybee population will not materialise. This is because European beekeepers have developed well-functioning and sustainable varroa concepts with organic acids (formic acid and oxalic acid) and “drone cutting” over the last 50 years or so, with which it is possible to live well with the mite, even if it can not be eradicated from the colonies of western honey bees (apis mellifera). However, the claims about allegedly Varroa-resistant bees are also false. There have been many reports of alleged resistance, all of which have turned out to be false. Only in very warm environments (e.g. southern USA, South America) can western honey bees survive the mite without regular treatment. Also, the alleged costs of 50$ per hive are exaggerated several times over. Formic acid and oxalic acid or its dihydrate are quite cheap. Additionally, the allegation that the number of bees was declining worldwide is wrong insofar this is about honeybees. In fact, the number of honeybees is higher than ever because of the increasing number of hobby beekeepers, though the statement is correct in relation to wild bee species.
There is a machine learning solution with convolution network to detect the varoa mites. Someone in Australia invented a nosal a way to get in hive and shoot the Veroa mite with a laser. Have a look around is not clear at all it is comercial yet. In 2020 when I was doing my master they were just getting started.
Ominous once every 6000 year Pluto Saturn in Capricorn from 2019-2021 could explain this ( last time we had this script in earth simulation was ~ 3800 BCE). Apart from pandemic, It impacts all SUN archetypes, bees are a huge symbol of the SUN. But sun in all living beings are a symbol of ” vitality”, hence why Saturn Pluto script ALWAYS is linked w mass wars and pandemics and famines and serious down times that takes lives in thousands if not millions. But in Capricorn cancer axis was specially tough and we hadn’t seen it for 6000 years. The one runner up to it, correlated w black plague which is why a few astrologers who were experts in historical trends predicted pandemic for 2020 based on Saturn Pluto script of 1400s (and issues w bees etc) years prior and were warning like crazy re 2020, and most other astrologers opted for predicting a world war that would go out of hand.
There has been discussion that what is stimulating the mite in hives is the synthetic large cells in the manufactured combs. The mite normally attacks the large drone cells, but modern hives have what looks to the mite like all drone cells. The answer could be more aggressive strains of bees that are better at cleaning and removing the mite. While african “killer bees” are too aggressive, one suggestion I have read about is the Russian bee genetics which are more aggressive but not actually too dangerous to handle.
I know someone that was a scientist he had been studying bee’s for years i believe he worked for the government he never mentioned his employer and previous i believe he worked for CSIRO or DPI and possibly both i know he worked in agriculture consulting he started to freak out about the bee’s he was a very rational person him behaving like that was very strange he has passed away now but he said we were doomed funny his last study was on bats he was terrified of them giving him a disease this was 2018 before covit 19 pandemic he described something like it and warned me never to go anywhere near me i also have horses he explained it was like Hendra back then he passed away at the start of the pandemic in a single vehicle accident i don’t do conspiracys but i am a little freaked when I think about him rest in peace mate
Many different foods, like corn, can be polinated by human hands. As for the mites, there are chemical and non chemical ways to treat an infected hive now. Just do a search on Youtube for more information. When a bee keeper starts seeing bees on the ground, thats main warning sign a hire has a mite infection.
It was mentioned that the Asian species Apis cerana is better at resisting the mites. Would bringing this species into Australia and perhaps elsewhere be of benefit? Admittedly, they are smaller than the European bees which may present some disadvantages, but they would probably need less attention in dealing with the mites.
In newcastle area, every bee hive in the area was destroyed at the start of the first outbreak, its only this year spring 2024 the the bees have came back, last year on my avocado tree I had no fruit at all, this year since the bees have came back, I’m going to have the best growth I’ve ever had in years thanks to the bees
Over thinking it, natural selection works but you need to use it on the humans and not the bugs. Pass a law saying that resources can not be moved more then 250 miles from the source, the communities that do not treat there environment right will die off and the ones who do will make problems like this go away, responsibility is a personal thing and not a world community thing, there is no world community and never will be.
Speaking of bees. Last summer I was walking to the grocery store and I had noticed earlier in the day that the city had sprayed the trees along the road. I looked down on the sidewalk and there was a dead Bee. Then I started looking at all the sidewalk all the way to the store. I counted 33 dead bees. That was the city of Seattle killing the bees so they could trim the trees.
Varoa mites are bad but the bees, especially wild colonies, are adapting here in the U.S. There are also chemical treatments that help. That navasota bee keeper is weaver, he breeds resistant bees. What I do is I catch wild colonies which seem to be more resistant, especially the more aggressive colonies. Most beekeepers don’t like mean bees but I just deal with them. Then there is the africanized or killer bees which don’t seem to be bothered by varoa mites much. They are dangerous but produce 20%more honey. They are a superior honey bee but mean as hell.
With innovation this can be fixed and its possible to protect every hive and inspect detect and deal with every bee, on its way back into the hive and be solar powered. Design a website system that controls the movement of bees so inspections and controls are applied if required to an infected bee while entering the hive.
I’d say if they’d quit kicking bees out of the suburbs and cities then we’d be fine…well not honey farmers but the bee population would. In my town it’s illegal to keep bees. We’re required to snitch on any wild be hives and turn them over to the fuzz. What sense does that make when they’re endangered? So they can all be in the same area when they’re wiped out by disease? It should be illegal to move them like it’s illegal to move a bald eagle’s nest.
I wonder if the frequency will effect the bees too. The more man interferes the further away from a solution. How did they survive before we interfered. Why don’t these orchards have their own bee keepers preventing interduction of pests. Sometimes the simplest solutions work best. Like poisoning possums in NZ. Still possums but a lot of toxic land and waters from 1080, but the possums still live on.
The most important thing is NO INSECTICIDES as there are thousands of species that would get exposes. I have native pollinators in my garden and my large macadamia tree has some pollination tho’ much reduced. Pollination is evident but no bees so somebody is doing it, let’s keep them alive! No poisons!! That only makes elite people rich and poor people hungry. Takes for the vid
Australian apathy, regarding varroa mite,is absolutely typical of the government, that sits on its collective arses, while various pests invade the country,and little is done,until it becomes a real emergent, like fore ants, crazy ants and Argentine ants,that all have come through in shipping containers, because only a very small number of them,are checked by agriculture inspectors, because of the huge volume of these containers arrive daily!
European bees are breed for honey production. This means that they are working all the time and take less time for hygiene. They aren’t cleaning themselves and the hive that much anymore, compared to other honey bees. Unfortunately, the bees, mainly Austrian ones, are exported all over the world. Unfortunately, because locals neglect the native bee species. They don’t protect and/ or breed them anymore. Also, those local bees now are in competition with the European bees. There are so many amazing bee species who are on the brink of extinction, like the Egyptian honey bee. Also, the native species need a beekeeper who knows how to keep them. Those people and jobs are dying out as well.
Einstein said we have 4 years left after the Bees are gone. I’m more optimistic and say we have 8. When the Bees & the Bats are gone, we are not soon after. Keep good stewardship over the land or a dystopian future will be our reward. The “Greatest Generation” made many technological advances but neglected the little basic life support systems.
You should use should of used the powder of oxalic acid to prevent from happening they should of checked the bees for mites buy drowning them in alcohol to check if their body is clean from mites to get rid of them early to prevent from killing so many bees could of been saved buy a safe chemicals that is ok to use for the environment.
So bees in the wild do better than commercially farmed bees? Of course!! So it’s greed really that is the problem. Bees could work this out themselves, if they weren’t exploited for their product. I love honey, but the solution obviously is, our love of eating honey is NOT as important as allowing Honey Bees to do their work FOR THE ENVIRONMENT that supports ecosystems and the food chain. Honey is THEIR food. Not really ours! Stands to reason that if we enslave them to produce for us, it was probably always going to bite us back!