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Cape honeybee (Apis mellifera capensis Eshscholtz) and varroa mite (Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman) threats to honeybees and beekeeping in Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2007

Mike Allsopp
Mike Allsopp*
Affiliation:
ARC-Plant Protection Research Institute, P/Bag X5017, Stellenbosch, 7599, South Africa
*
*Email: vredma@plant3.agric.za
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Abstract

Honeybees are of critical importance in Africa for both ecological and economic reasons. Their contribution to floral biodiversity and conservation, by virtue of their pollination of indigenous flowering plants is unknown, but certain to be considerable. Economically, honeybees are critical for the pollination of a host of commercial crop plants as well as being the source of energy and livelihood for many thousands of mostly small-scale beekeepers. In the past, honeybee pests and problems have been of limited importance in Africa. More recently, however, an increasing number of exotic diseases and pests as well as home-grown problems threaten honeybees, beekeeping and honeybee-pollination in Africa. Two problems in South Africa, the capensis problem and varroa mites, have severely curtailed beekeeping in that country and may well have impact on bees and beekeeping throughout the continent.

Keywords

Apis mellifera capensisApis mellifera scutellataVarroa destructorCape honeybeesvarroa mitesbiodiversitybeekeepingAfricawild beespollinators
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science , Volume 24 , Issue 1 , March 2004 , pp. 87 - 94
Copyright
Copyright © ICIPE 2004

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