Co-PIs: James L. Frazier, Maryann Frazier, Christina M. Grozinger, and Harland M. Patch (Pennsylvania State University)
Collaborators: Daniel Masiga (African Insect Science for Food and Health, Kenya), Elliud Muli (African Insect Science for Food and Health, Kenya)
Insect pollination is an essential component of both ecosystems and agricultural production systems worldwide. The honeybee species Apis mellifera is considered the most important generalist pollinator of agricultural systems and, although poorly documented, is also known to be an important pollinator of natural ecosystems. In Africa, native honey bees (Apis mellifera) of several different races are reportedly responsible for pollinating 40-70% of indigenous plants, some of which are important commercial crops. Dramatic declines in honey bee populations have been documented around the world and the recently named Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has been identified as an important player responsible for these dramatic loses. Despite intensive research efforts, the causes of CCD have not been identified.
Factors identified as the most likely contributors to CCD and the decline of honey bee populations include Varroa mites (Varroa destructor), diseases, particularly viruses vectored by Varroa, pesticide exposure, and stresses associated with modern beekeeping practices like the movement of hives and poor nutrition. CCD has not been reported in Africa, yet recently the existence of Varroa mites in honey bee colonies in Kenya was discovered. Bee keepers in East Africa had not noticed the mites, and their effect on the East African bees is not clear. This project will provide a detailed survey of geographically distributed subspecies of native honey bees in Kenya, and characterize the distribution of Varroa, as well as other pathogens which have important impacts on colony health. Additionally the project will determine if Varroa loads are associated with reduced colony productivity and variation in specific behavioral traits in bees. The factors that mediate the interactions of Varroa mites with honey bees are very poorly understood and little is known about the mechanisms that allow bees to resist or tolerate the mites. The results of this pilot project will lay the groundwork for years of future studies to elucidate the factors and mechanisms that will allow sustainable management of honey bees and protection from mites and other diseases.
Broader Impacts: Along with the potential for enhanced income to beekeepers and smallholder farmers through active participation in regional cooperatives, the successes in Kenya may well serve as a model approach for similar efforts in neighboring countries in both East and West equatorial Africa. The outcomes of this research project may offer new approaches for bee breeding, potentially including transgenics, for use in agriculture in the developed world. With a permanent collaborative program on pollinator health at ICIPE and PSU, longer term consequences will undoubtedly involve further understanding of other honey bee diseases and mechanisms of resistance, and eventually pollinator community level interactions and their roles in stabilizing ecosystems. The results and methodology from this project will be broadly disseminated to the public and honey bee community in the US and East Africa through public repositories (such as GenBank for subspecies sequence information) and the websites for both ICIPE (www.icipe.org/) and the Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State (http://ento.psu.edu/pollinators). This project will be used in the future as a platform for undergraduate and graduate training of both African and US students, including active exchanges between institutions.
Submitted on: May 16, 2014 Principal Investigator: Tumlinson, James Award ID: 0965441 Organization: Penn State University An unexpected outcome of our original BREAD-funded research was that the type of hive used to house honey bee colonies may dramatically impact their health and productivity, as well as the net income of the beekeepers. In the US, EU, and other countries where the European honey bee is present, the majority of beekeepers use Langstroth hives, which feature standardized, moveable frames and hive bodies. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, beekeepers have traditionally used hollowed out logs as "hives" for attracting bees and to successfully produce honey; however for the past 50 years, East African beekeepers have been encouraged to adopt movable comb (Kenyan Top Bar) hives and movable frame (Langstroth) hives over their traditional log hives. In our 2010 survey, beekeepers reported that the colonies housed in Langstroth and Kenyan Top Bar hives were sometimes smaller and produced less honey. Furthermore, these hives are considerably more expensive to produce and require more skill to manage than the traditional log hives. Thus, it may be advantageous for Kenyan beekeepers to use log hives. We tested this hypothesis in the following study. We established three apiaries on the South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU) campus in the Kitui area of south eastern Kenya to compare the behavior, health and productivity of colonies housed in traditional log, Kenyan top bar (KTB), and Langstroth hives. We also assessed the attractiveness of hive-types to migrating swarms, their absconding rates and the hive costs and income associated with each of the hive-types. Based on our preliminary results, migratory swarms of Apis mellifera scutellata clearly preferred Langstroth and log hives over Kenyan top bar hives. Throughout the study period, 100% of Langstroth, 80% of the logs and less then 20% of the KTB hives were occupied at one time or another. Interestingly, the majority of hives were occupied in April at the beginning of the long rainy season rather than as expected during the short rainy season in October and November. Comparing Varroa mite levels among the three different hive-types and over the season, we found no differences however overall Varroa mite infestations were very low. In April mite levels averaged 2.6 in a sample of approximately 350-400 bees while in June they only increased slightly to an average of 3.7 mites. These levels are well below the typical U.S. treatment threshold of 5 mites in a similar-sized sample of bees, providing additional evidence that African bees have the ability to tolerate mites without chemical intervention. The hives were also screened for eight common honey bee viruses but only four were detected over the course of the season. Of these, deformed wing virus was the most prevalent, found in none of the colonies in April (newly established colonies) but all colonies in June. Virus infections had no relation to hive type. Additional honey and wax yield data is being collected in order to conduct a full cost benefit analysis comparing the three different hive types. Additional research over a longer time frame will be needed to address questions of appropriate hive-type and optimum management practices for honey bees in East Africa. A successful forum on Rethinking Beekeeping Development in East Africa was held in March 2014 to share the results of this study and the experience of others engaged in the management of honey bees. East African participants included Kenyan beekeepers, representatives from NGOs (HEART Africa Foundation, Tanzania Forest Conservation Group, Bees Abroad – Kenya, Bees for Development – Ethiopia); Government organizations, (Kenyan National Beekeeping Station and Agricultural Research Institute [KARI], the Ugandan National Agriculture Research Organization [NARO]), the private sector (DesertEdge), as well as icipe and faculty, staff and students from SEKU. Together participants formed the following vision for the future of beekeeping in East African: East Africa has a profitable and sustainable beekeeping industry that produces globally competitive products and contributes maximally to eco-system services while also protecting honey and stingless bees as a valuable natural resource. They also identified barriers to the vision and the next best steps forward to overcome the barriers and achieve the vision. This document will be shared with all stakeholders interested in promoting beekeeping in East Africa.
