NAIROBI ― Temperature can increase bee colony loss in dry, hot and wet seasons, but a study has found that beekeepers practicing water provision to the bees experience up to 10% less decrease. The yearlong research conducted among bee farmers in Kenya revealed that between October 2021 and September 2022, the farmers lost an average of 36% of their honeybee colonies due to climate change effects. Bees play a vital role in the pollination of plants, with honeybees offering additional benefits to farmers through the production of valuable commodities such as honey, beeswax, royal jelly and propolis. Among the various species of bees, honeybees are particularly significant for agricultural producers due to their substantial economic contributions. The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) is the most preferred species among beekeepers globally. The study used face-to-face interviews as its method of data collection to estimate honeybee decrease and to explore environmental (temperature and precipitation) and water provision effects on colonies decrease. It found that the colony losses were greater during the hot and dry periods (up to 31.9%) compared with the wet and cold periods (up to 20.2%). The study was done on a total of 589 beekeepers from different areas including coastal areas, semiarid regions, and tropical forests in Kenya, ensuring a representative sample of climate variations and beekeeping practices. Bees at their beehive in Kenya. Image © Tom Vandenbosch via Wikimedia Commons. Despite worldwide programs committed to addressing concerns about the health of managed honey bees, this study found…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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