Beekeeping and Managed Bee Diversity in Indonesia: Perspective and Preference of Beekeepers

Abstract

There is a high diversity of bees in the tropics, including honey bees and stingless bees, which are the main sources for honey and other ecosystem services. In Indonesia, beekeeping practices have been developed for centuries, and they have been part of many cultural practices in many traditional communities. The objective of this research was to study the beekeeping status and managed bee diversity in Indonesia and to investigate beekeepers’ perspectives on the factors and obstacles related to beekeeping. Direct interview and online interview were conducted to gain data on bees and beekeepers. In total, 272 beekeepers were interviewed across 25 provinces. Samplings of honey bees and stingless bees were also done during direct interviews for further identification and, when possible, pollen identification. All data and specimens were then sent to IPB Bogor for compilation and identification. We recorded 22 species of bees, including 3 species of honey bees and 19 species of stingless bees, that are reared by Indonesian beekeepers, with Apis cerana and Tetragonula laeviceps as the most common species. Our research also found that the majority of beekeepers fall into the category of the younger generation (30–39 years old) with educational background mostly from senior high school. Based on the beekeepers’ perspectives, there are several obstacles to beekeeping, especially the occurrence of death of bee foragers attributed to climate, food source, and pesticides. In conclusion, there is a need to develop a strategy for beekeeping and bee conservation in Indonesia, especially for adaptation and mitigation from environmental changes with a particular focus on climate and land-use change.

Advances and knowledge gaps on climate change impacts on honey bees and beekeeping: A systematic review

“…Methodologically, they have followed case study approaches for selecting areas within specific countries, and these cases have been defined based on their relevance to beekeeping production in each country, as well as their interest in studying climate change. Several research designs have been employed, including qualitative techniques (Ahenkan et al., 2020; Bislimi, 2022; Patel et al., 2020; Vercelli et al., 2021) and quantitative techniques (Buchori et al., 2022; Gallardo‐López et al., 2021; Ukamaka & Eberechukwu, 2018), as well another group has used mixed methods, integrating perception and adaptation issues, also with some analyses of spatial, climatic, and economic indicators (e.g., production, trade, or consumption of apicultural products or services; Newman et al., 2021; Gajardo‐Rojas et al., 2022; Lazos‐Chavero et al., 2022). Through these studies, climate change was perceived as a negative factor or threat to the development of apiculture in several regions, combined with anthropogenic factors such as land‐use changes and pesticide use.…”

Manajemen Pekarangan Ramah Lebah Tanpa Sengat sebagai Upaya Peningkatan Jasa Lanskap Perkotaan

“…Konsep ini dimaksudkan untuk menciptakan pekarangan yang dapat mendukung habitat dan budi daya LTS (Meliponiculture). T. laeviceps merupakan jenis LTS yang paling umum ditemui di Indonesia (Buchori et al 2022) dan ramah di perkotaan (urban friendly) sehingga mampu beradaptasi dengan kondisi tersebut (lanskap antropogenik) maupun pada lanskap alami (Wayo et al 2020). Spesies ini juga lebih fleksibel dalam persyaratan habitat dan sebagian besar dapat memanfaatkan ketersediaan sumber daya di lanskap yang terdeforestasi.…”

Physico-chemical properties of multifloral honey Apis dorsata and monofloral honey of bees Apis mellifera

“…Honey bees as social insects that live in colonies produce honey, pollen, royal jelly, propolis, bee venom, and beeswax [1]. Indonesia has a high species richness of bees, because as many as five species of honey bees are native to Indonesia [2]. Apis mellifera is an imported bees from Australia and can adapt to the environment in Indonesia, which is widely cultivated on Java Island.…”