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Trust Freddy Herald Correspondent

Pests and diseases are wiping out African bee colonies in Zimbabwe threatening honey production, the livelihood of beekeepers and crops that need bees for pollination.

Dr Nyembezi Mgocheki, an Entomologist at Bindura University of Science Education, recently told a bee keepers symposium that honeybee populations across the world are struggling to overcome attacks from parasites such as the varroa mite and tropilaelaps mite infection with diseases, as well as the dreaded Colony Collapse Disorder posing a threat to the global food security.

“For farmers to produce successfully they need bees because they pollinate a lot of plants save for those which are wind pollinated, most of the crops that we grow are insects and hence we the bees which are the major pollinators,” Dr Mgocheki said.

Dr Nyembezi also described American foulbrood (AFB) is a fatal bacterial disease of honey bee brood caused by the spore forming bacterium and heavy infections could affect most of the brood, severely weakening the colony and eventually killing it.

Experts say, although AFB is not highly contagious, bacterial spores can easily be spread between hives and apiaries through beekeeping practices such as through the exchange of equipment and movement of infected combs.

The Entomologist said American Foulbrood said the only way to manage the disease is to stop infections from occurring through adopting beekeeping best management practices which involve burning all infected colonies or treating them with antibiotics such as terramycin and tylan.

Trap adult moths in apiary as well as in honey houses remove drawn combs from uncapied hives extract honey from supers within 2 days of hive removal Freeze lightly damaged wax moth infested equipment

Bees and other pollinators are significant contributors to food security, ecosystem health, improve the environment and they do not prey on any other species. 

Aside from crops, bees also pollinate grasses and forage plants, therefore contributing indirectly to meat and milk production.

The chairperson of the Bee Keepers Association, Mr Chaipa Mutandwa said there is a need to train farmers and beekeepers on efficient use of pesticides and hazards caused by pesticides on bees.

“Advocacy among decision makers on the importance of protection of the bees and the environment from pesticide pollution is key and there is a need to have regular monitoring of pests and diseases that may affect the local bees,” he said.

Mr Chaipa also said that there is a need to develop guidelines to coordinate regulation and importation of bees.

 “Use local bees wherever possible because local bees are adapted to their environment, no risk of importing pathogens. 

“A farmer must also have the best hive which takes into consideration the behaviour of local pests and predators

“Enforce the need to have regular monitoring of pests and diseases that may affect the local bees and also monitoring incidence of absconding colonies as well as researching to identify factors causing absconding of honey bee colonies.

 “if we allow our bees to be exposed to new stresses – to new pests and diseases; to pesticides – then we could start seeing our bees dying from things they were previously tolerant to. 

“We must be careful not to allow our bee populations to get to some state as those in other parts of the world. We must not believe our bees are completely disease-proof.”

Bees and other pollinators are declining in large numbers across Zimbabwe and the entire world largely due to intensive farming practices , excessive use of agricultural chemicals, pests and diseases.