Insect of the Month (May): Honeybee, Apis mellifera

The honeybee Apis mellifera occurs worldwide and is the most important managed pollinator. The global value of pollination is in the range of 200-500 billion USD every year and food security is at risk when bees are disappearing. In the Northern hemisphere, honeybee colonies suffer from colony collapse disorder and winter mortality. African bees are less affected by losses, but the factors contributing to bee declines in the North are present in Africa and are most likely to affect bee populations soon. icipe promotes beekeeping to rural farmers as a source for income through the production of honey. Beeswax is the second most important hive product, whose production using traditional hives in tropical countries is extremely high.