Honey bee colony losses and causes during the active beekeeping season 2022/2023 in nine Sub-Saharan African countries

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Nganso, Beatrice T. and Ayalew, Workneh and Wubie, Abebe J. and Assefa, Freweini and Belayhun, Lulseged and Ndungu, Nelly N. and Toroitich, Daniel and Otieno-Ayayo, Z. Ngalo and Wambua, Mbatha B. and Oyieyo, Yudah O. and Elie, Ntirenganya and Sikirou, Rachidatou and Idrissou, Souradji B. and Mwiza, Willy and Turner, S. and Bobadoye, Bridget O. and Fameni, Sidonie T. and Gaboe, Sayemie and Agbodzavu, Mawufe K. and Mafwila, Patrick and Tasse Taboue, Geraud C. and Emily, Kimathi and Henri, Tonnang Z.E. and Niassy, Saliou and Fonkou, Simplice N. and Pirk, Christian W. W. and Gray, Alison and Brodschneider, Robert and Soroker, Victoria and Subramanian, Sevgan (2025) Honey bee colony losses and causes during the active beekeeping season 2022/2023 in nine Sub-Saharan African countries. PLoS ONE, 20 (5). e0322489. ISSN 1932-6203 (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0322489)

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Abstract

This study reports for the first-time a multi-country survey of managed honey bee colony loss rates and associated risk factors during the active beekeeping season 2022/2023 in nine Sub-Saharan African countries, namely Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Benin, Liberia, Nigeria, Cameroon and Democratic Republic of the Congo. It also evaluates the sustainability of bee swarm catches as a primary source for expanding apiary size by African beekeepers. In this survey, the 1,786 interviewed beekeepers across these countries collectively managing 41,761 colonies registered an overall loss rate of 21.3%, which varied significantly among countries (from 9.7 to 45.3%) and hive types (from 10.6% in hives with movable frames to 17.9% in frameless hives). The perceived causes of losses in order of significance were issues beyond the beekeeper’s control (mostly theft, drought, and bushfire), absconding and pests (mostly wax moth, small and large hive beetles, ants and Varroa destructor mite), but this pattern varied greatly across countries. Among the management practices and characteristics, migratory beekeepers and professional beekeepers experienced lower losses than beekeepers practicing stationary beekeeping and semi-professionals and hobby beekeepers, respectively. Insights into the number of bee swarms caught revealed a significant decrease in swarm availability over the past three years in Kenya, while some regions in Ethiopia showed the opposite trend, requiring further investigation. Overall, this comprehensive survey highlights the complexities and challenges faced by beekeepers in Sub-Saharan Africa, underscoring the need for targeted interventions and sustained research to support the resilience and growth of the apicultural sector.

ORCID iDs

Nganso, Beatrice T., Ayalew, Workneh, Wubie, Abebe J., Assefa, Freweini, Belayhun, Lulseged, Ndungu, Nelly N., Toroitich, Daniel, Otieno-Ayayo, Z. Ngalo, Wambua, Mbatha B., Oyieyo, Yudah O., Elie, Ntirenganya, Sikirou, Rachidatou, Idrissou, Souradji B., Mwiza, Willy, Turner, S., Bobadoye, Bridget O., Fameni, Sidonie T., Gaboe, Sayemie, Agbodzavu, Mawufe K., Mafwila, Patrick, Tasse Taboue, Geraud C., Emily, Kimathi, Henri, Tonnang Z.E., Niassy, Saliou, Fonkou, Simplice N., Pirk, Christian W. W., Gray, Alison ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6273-0637, Brodschneider, Robert, Soroker, Victoria and Subramanian, Sevgan; Babarinde, Samuel Adelani
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)