WSDA Entomology Lab
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| Photo credit: Flickr user budak |
The Eastern honey bee, Apis cerana, is one of about
12 different cavity and open-nesting honey bee species that occur in
Asia. Apis cerana is widely kept by beekeepers in Asia, but in
commercial operations it has been mostly replaced throughout its range by the
western honey bee, Apis mellifera.
The western honey bee,
which is native to Europe, Africa, and western and central Asia, has been
widely adopted because of its ability to produce higher honey yields than A.
cerana. Other factors that make A.
cerana difficult to manage for large-scale commercial pollination and honey
production include seasonal migration, and a tendency to “abscond” (abandon their hive) when disturbed.
There are other reasons to be wary of importing Apis cerana. Although Apis
cerana has effective behavioral defenses against the Asian giant
hornet, it is also host to multiple parasitic mites that can destroy colonies
of A. mellifera. One of these, Tropilaelaps clareae, has
not yet reached Europe or the Americas. Many entomologists believe that Tropilaelaps could
be more devastating to U.S. honey bees than the Varroa mite, and annual
nationwide monitoring of U.S. honey bee populations to prevent the establishment of
this parasite is a high priority of USDA-APHIS.
Importing A. cerana might also provide a pathway for bee viruses to enter the U.S., creating a high risk to both managed Apis mellifera populations and native bee species. Finally, Apis cerana itself could be problematic. After being introduced to Australia and Papua New Guinea, it became highly invasive and displaced native bee species. All efforts to suppress it have so far failed.
Importing A. cerana might also provide a pathway for bee viruses to enter the U.S., creating a high risk to both managed Apis mellifera populations and native bee species. Finally, Apis cerana itself could be problematic. After being introduced to Australia and Papua New Guinea, it became highly invasive and displaced native bee species. All efforts to suppress it have so far failed.
Intentionally introducing A. cerana would
pose a huge risk to U.S. agriculture and native bees, and is not currently a
viable solution to managing Asian giant hornets even if they become
established. It is also illegal under
federal law.
As a final note, remember that beekeepers still raise western honey bees in places where Asian giant hornet is native. It takes more resources, but the industry is viable.
As a final note, remember that beekeepers still raise western honey bees in places where Asian giant hornet is native. It takes more resources, but the industry is viable.
Contributed by Katie Buckley, Steve Sheppard, Brandon
Hopkins, and Chris Looney