Beekeeping in Vietnam

Abstract

There are six honeybee (Apis laboriosa, Apis dorsata, Apis mellifera, Apis cerana, Apis andreniformis, Apis florea), eight stingless bee (Trigona laeviceps, Trigona ventralis, Trigona pagdeni, Trigona gressitti, Trigona fuscobalteata, Trigona carpenteri, Trigona scintillans, Trigona iridipennis), and two bumble bee (Bombus haemorrhoidalis, Bombus breviceps) species known in Vietnam. All of them are native to the country, with the exception of A. mellifera. Today nearly 1,500,000 A. mellifera and A. cerana honeybee hives are managed in Vietnam. These bees, along with A. dorsata, are responsible for the majority of honeybee products produced in the country. Vietnam is the second largest honey exporter in Asia, with a total of ~48,000 tons distributed internationally in 2014. Domestically, honey is also an important commodity. Furthermore, A. cerana plays an important role in poverty alleviation in mountainous and remote areas of Vietnam due to beekeeping development projects sponsored by both government and nongovernmental organizations. Major bee diseases that infect Vietnamese honeybees include Sacbrood disease (SBV), European foulbrood disease (EFB), Nosema, and parasitic mites (Tropilaelaps mercedesae and Varroa destructor). Most of these diseases can be resolved with biocontrol methods.