Asian Beekeeping in the 21st Century

From the perspective of local scientists, this book provides insight into bees and bee

management of Asia, with a special focus on honey bees.

Asia is home to at least nine honey bee species, including the introduced European honey

bee, Apis mellifera. Although A. mellifera and the native Asian honey bee, Apis cerana,

are the most commonly employed species for commercial beekeeping, the remaining

non-managed native honey bee species have important ecological and economic roles

on the continent. Species distributions of most honey bee species overlap in Southeast

Asia, thus promoting the potential for interspecies transmission of pests and parasites,

as well as their spread to other parts of the world by human translocation.

Losses of managed A. mellifera colonies is of great concern around the world, including

in Asia. Such global colony losses are believed to be caused, in part, by pests and

parasites originating from Asia such as the mite Varroa destructor, the microsporidian

Nosema ceranae, and several bee viruses.

Taking advantage of the experience of leading regional bee researchers, this book provides

insight into the current situation of bees and bee management in Asia. Recent

introductions of honey bee parasites of Asian origin to other parts of the world ensuresthat the contents of this book are broadly relevant to bee scientists, researchers, government

offi cials, and the general public around the world.