Western Cape honey bee population under threat

South Africa’s agricultural output could face significant disruption unless urgent steps are taken to protect the country’s indigenous honey bee populations, the Western Cape Bee Industry Association (WCBA) has warned.

- Sinenhlanhla Mncwango

According to WCBA chairperson Chris Nicklin, honey bees play a pivotal role in food production through pollination and biodiversity enhancement.

“Unlike other parts of the world where there are serious declines in honey bee populations, especially in the US, South Africa's indigenous honey bee subspecies are not facing the same degree of threat. Nonetheless, we have some very serious challenges, which make the future of our honey bees quite precarious,” he told Farmer's Weekly.

Nicklin explained that South Africa was home to two indigenous honey bee subspecies: the East African lowland honey bee (Apis mellifera scutellata), found in the summer rainfall regions, and the Cape honey bee (Apis mellifera capensis), native to the fynbos biome.