Linking Measure of the Tropical Stingless Bee (Apidae,Meliponini, and Heterotrigona itama) Honey Quality with Hives Distance to the Source of Heavy Metal Pollution in Urban and Industrial Areas in Sabah, Borneo

Honey is a natural product of bees, and its chemical composition depends on the nectar sources of the surrounding flora as well as environmental factors. However, keeping hives in areas polluted with heavy metals can affect the quality of bee products such as honey. To date, there have been very few studies on the health risks of consuming honey at various locations in the Malaysian state of Sabah, Borneo, in relation to food standards and heavy metal contamination of honey from the stingless bee, Heterotrigona itama in association with pollutant sources. A total of 63 samples of raw and unprocessed honey were collected directly from beekeepers producing honey at five sites in the industrial areas. All selected heavy metals were measured using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrophotometer (ICP-OES). Overall, the most frequently detected element was Zn (0.090 mg/kg), followed by Pb (0.012 mg/kg), As (0.004 mg/kg), and Cr (0.003 mg/kg), while Cd (0.001 mg/kg) was the lowest element in honey from all areas. With the exception of Cr and Zn, a significant correlation was found between PCA factor score 1 and heavy metal concentration in honey for Pb, Cd, and As, suggesting that the source of pollution for these metal elements was from hives closer to major roads, cities/town, petrochemical hub, and power plants. Although the heavy metal concentrations in the honey samples did not exceed the food standard limits and therefore do not pose a health risk, the observed increase in heavy metal concentrations in honey in industrial areas could pose a potential risk in the future due to the growing interest in rearing of stingless bees for honey production in these areas of Sabah

Assessment of pests and predators infestation, and the performance of honeybee (Apis cerana Fabr.) colonies in langstroth modified beehives (LMB)

This study was carried out from June 2016 to December 2019 at the Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture (FSA), Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Sandakan, Malaysia. The objectives of this study were to (i) assess how the prevalence of pests and predators, alongside other factors, may be causing honeybees to abscond from the existing beehives commonly used by local beekeepers; and (ii) investigate the efficacy of newly improved beehives in preventing the intrusion of pests and predators, and the potential impact this has on honeybee health performance. To determine what other factors cause bee abscondment in relation to the prevalence of pests and predators, ten new colonies of Apis cerana bees-all with equal health performances were examined for ten weeks in Langstroth Beehives (LBs), which are commonly used by the local beekeepers of Malaysia. To compare honeybee health performance with regard to the efficacy of beehives, ten of the same bee colonies were examined for 20 weeks, also equal in terms of health performance, were introduced to, and studied in, new Langstroth Modified Beehives (LMBs) (5 replications) and LB Beehives (5 replications). The honeybee pests and predators identified during the inspection of the LBs were wax moths, hornets, ants, cockroaches and mites. Combinations of infestation by wax moths, hornets, ants and cockroaches were found in 60% and 90% of LBs, and were determined to be the cause of honeybee abscondment. This, therefore, indicates that one of the significant challenges of beekeeping faced by local beekeepers is the existence of pests and predators in the environment. LMBs had a greater number of frames filled with more than 80% of brood combs (N = 12), honey (N = 24) and pollen storages (N = 19) than LB beehives. Low infestation rates of pests and predators in LMBs could be explained by the improvements made on the beehives’ design, which prevented the intrusion of wax moths, cockroaches, and hornets into the hives. Thus, this suggests that improving the beehives’ capacity for protecting the bee colonies is crucial in reducing abscondment and increasing bee products

Assessment of pests and predators, and theperformance of honeybee (Apis Cerana F.) colonies in Langstroth Modified Beehives (LMB)

This study was carried out from June 2016 to December 2019 at the Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture (FSA), Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Sandakan, Malaysia. The objectives of this study were to (i) assess how the prevalence of pests and predators, alongside other factors, may be causing honeybees to abscond from the existing beehives commonly used by local beekeepers; and (ii) investigate the efficacy of newly improved beehives in preventing the intrusion of pests and predators, and the potential impact this has on honeybee health performance. To determine what other factors cause bee abscondment in relation to the prevalence of pests and predators, ten new colonies of Apis cerana bees-all with equal health performances were examined for ten weeks in Langstroth Beehives (LBs), which are commonly used by the local beekeepers of Malaysia. To compare honeybee health performance with regard to the efficacy of beehives, ten of the same bee colonies were examined for 20 weeks, also equal in terms of health performance, were introduced to, and studied in, new Langstroth Modified Beehives (LMBs) (5 replications) and LB Beehives (5 replications). The honeybee pests and predators identified during the inspection of the LBs were wax moths, hornets, ants, cockroaches and mites. Combinations of infestation by wax moths, hornets, ants and cockroaches were found in 60% and 90% of LBs, and were determined to be the cause of honeybee abscondment. This, therefore, indicates that one of the significant challenges of beekeeping faced by local beekeepers is the existence of pests and predators in the environment. LMBs had a greater number of frames filled with more than 80% of brood combs (N = 12), honey (N = 24) and pollen storages (N = 19) than LB beehives. Low infestation rates of pests and predators in LMBs could be explained by the improvements made on the beehives’ design, which prevented the intrusion of wax moths, cockroaches, and hornets into the hives. Thus, this suggests that improving the beehives’ capacity for protecting the bee colonies is crucial in reducing abscondment and increasing bee products